


We Run Together

by miraimisu



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions, Pocket Monsters: Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon | Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Versions
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff (albeit rareish), Graphic Violence (when stated so), Moon hunts monsters and Gladion panics: the story, Ultra Beast Quest, also known as dorksweek2020, lonashippingweek2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25401841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miraimisu/pseuds/miraimisu
Summary: Moon embarks in her quest to rid Alola of Ultra Beasts, and nothing goes as planned. Thankfully, she’s used to that. Unfortunately, the President of Aether might not be.
Relationships: Gladio | Gladion/Moon
Comments: 100
Kudos: 49





	1. UB01 - Symbiont

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: this story may include depictions of violence. Nothing too graphic, but I will state a warning when due. This chapter is *not* one of them!

Moon always thought she would never have to encounter an Ultra Beast ever again.

Life has its unique ways of proving her wrong.

This time, it had been in the shape of the Interpol summoning her to a meeting and haphazardly throwing her into the beautifully dangerous world that is secret agent missions. Moon calls it beautiful because it's intriguing, albeit dangerous because Nihilegos are anything but charming.

"We were informed by Miss Wicke from the Aether Foundation that you have come into contact with a Symbiont specimen fairly recently, correct?" Anabel says gently, handing Moon a picture of the tragically graceful beast. "Miss Wicke informed us of the incident briefly. Another young trainer was with you at the time, presumably."

Moon can only nod. Just the memory of Lillie's anguished and angry words at her mother is enough to set a weight on her stomach. "Yeah, but did you call for _me_? I know I'm the Champion, but I haven't ever properly battled a beast before."

Well, she battled Lusamine fused with Nihilego, although that woman is a beast for more twisted reasons.

"That's what we were imagining, but your skills alone will suffice," Looker explains, folding his arms. His words are calm, but his expression is anything but that. "Ultra Beasts were drawn to Alola because of Madam Lusamine's actions, and nobody in the region but the best trainer will tame them."

"And… you mean me, right?"

The agents nod. "The International Police has chosen you for this mission. We believe you will be the most suited trainer to deal with this ordeal. Other people may falter, but you..." Anabel sheds a soft smile. "We are sure you will do a great job."

"Wait, so I'll be doing this _alone_?"

After a second of deliberation, both agents nod. Moon looks at the photo again, trying to hide her surprise. She's had her friends by her side through her journey, and she'll face the hardest challenge yet on her own. It doesn't feel right.

Anabel senses her unease, it seems. She smiles at Moon politely. "We fully trust you will do fine. Looker will have your back, and I will keep civilians safe." Her smile turns into an acute frown. "We do, however, expect you to keep this mission a secret."

All these conditions just keep slapping her. "I can't tell anybody?"

"Exactly. It is a secret mission."

"I… I think I understand why, considering it's the International Police we're talking about, but…" Moon bites her lip, thinking of her mom and her friends. "Won't people know that I'll be fighting the beasts?"

"Not necessarily. We will make sure that paparazzi and civilians keep a diligent distance from the area," Anabel promises, playing with the ties of her bow. "This secrecy will ensure the welfare of the Aether Foundation, too. Madam Lusamine's actions seem to have tarnished its reputation."

That's an understatement that Moon is willing to ignore. That's a headache for another night.

She thinks of one person that will surely mind all these secrets, though.

"What about Gladion?"

Anabel seems taken aback by the mention. "Are you referring to the current president of the Aether Foundation?" Moon nods eagerly. "Considering the circumstances of the mission, we deemed it would be best if he does not engage with the mission. We are aware of his prowess, but secrecy is key."

Right. Secrecy. Moon knows Gladion to be much more perceptive than he lets on, and while she doesn't know how he'd react to her keeping secrets from him, she still feels bad about keeping it all away from him.

They've moved well past his denial of their friendship, but his aloofness still gets the best of him sometimes. Moon can only pray he minds his own business as he claims he does.

"So all I have to do is catch this Nihilego and go home?"

"For now, yes." Looker nods, but he's thoughtful. "Symbiont is a parasitic, dangerous creature. What little we know is not for the faint of heart, and if it closes in on you, do not hesitate to run away."

That last part is what strikes an offense in her. Moon juts her chin and frowns, letting her pride get the best of her. "A Champion never runs away from a battle, let alone if Alola is in danger. I'll capture the beast and take it to Wicke."

Anabel and Looker seem happy with her compromise, praising her efforts and sending her home early.

For a while, Moon succeeds at staving off her fears. She's seen what a Nihilego can do to a distressed person, and for the night that precedes the mission, Moon is fully confident she'll push through just fine and that Looker and Anabel's concerns are for naught.

And then she sees Nihilego, waltzing around the empty park of the Wela Volcano, seeking a victim– and the moment Moon takes a step towards it, Nihilego turns and screeches, launching itself at her.

Moon barely dodges Nihilego, and she clumsily tosses her Decidueye into battle, commanding him to protect himself. Nihilego has never attacked trainers before, not this viciously– what is it looking for that Moon clearly doesn't have, anyway?

"Decidueye, use Steel Wing!"

Her beloved Pokémon hits Nihilego, but right after screeching and recoiling from the hit, it shoves Decidueye out of the way and flies towards Moon, screeching viciously at her. The angry red aura surrounding it brightens the closer it gets to her.

Out of surprise, Moon takes a few steps back, frantically and blindly looking for her team on her belt– but Nihilego stops her hand from moving.

One of its tendrils wraps around her forearm, and the sensation is unlike anything Moon's ever felt before, sending her into an immediate state of shock.

She screams– out of sensation, out of confusion, and out of pain. It feels like burning needles are pricking her skin and tearing the surface of it apart. Nihilego is trying to yank her closer, but Moon fights the pull, knowing what it's trying to do.

The longer she fights the creature, second by second, the more exhausted and dizzy she feels. It's a numbing, heavy sense of light-headedness that has her at the verge of passing out on the spot.

She looks at the Nihilego. If she so desired, she could hunt these things down and make them pay for her pain, for Lusamine's pain, or Lillie's, or Gladion's. She's a good trainer, she knows that, and maybe, just maybe, she could also explore all of Ultra Space and get to know every single species out there, make friends with them. She can see her future so clearly: getting even stronger, exploring all that's to be known, becoming the strongest trainer the world has ever seen–

Decidueye's screech brings her attention back momentarily. His claws land on the Nihilego's head and knock it off Moon, who can only stumble back in shock. She trips with a rock and falls on her back in the dry grass.

She tosses a cobalt Pokéball to the Nihilego.

The Ultra Beast gives in easily and stays in the Pokéball, but Moon is exhausted, sweating, heart racing. The air around her is electric, sweltering. Her whole body is shaking, she notices, so much so that her legs won't move.

Decidueye wobbles towards her and looks down at her arm: a dark red mark is embedded to her skin, itchy and strangely cold to the touch. When she pokes it, Moon hisses.

Her Pokémon hoots in concern. Moon shakes her head. "I'm okay, I just–" She blows out a deep sigh. "I just need a moment. A long moment."

What in the world had that been?

* * *

"If this information is correct, what you may have experienced is a symptom of Nihilego's toxins."

"Toxins?"

Wicke nods and puts some ointment on her arm. "Nihilego is a parasite, to put it bluntly. It generates a type of toxin and injects it on its victim's body, much like a mosquito would. Investigations suggest these toxins generate excitement in its victim and lead to the train of thought you experienced whilst battling it."

Moon blinks at Wicke, and then at her arm, still clad in that ugly red mark. It looks like dried, slightly purplish blood. "So… it stung me? And I had a hallucination?"

"I would not go as far as calling it that, but it was a type thereof," Wicke explains with a kind smile. "I believe you saw what the Madam behaved like during her stay in Ultra Space. It exacerbates the victim's strength and uses it against them to weaken them. Like a drug, but not quite."

Oh.

 _Oh_.

That explains many things she hadn't even considered. If Lusamine had been somewhat affected by the toxins, had her abusive behavior towards Lillie and Gladion been a product of that? Had her already bad behaviors been increased because of Nihilego, or had it been her doing?

Moon feels herself getting lost in her own thoughts again, but catches herself before letting it go any further. Instead, she focuses on Wicke's work. "Will that ointment help with the symptoms?"

"I doubt so, considering it is far from finished medicine. Ultra Beast investigations are a novelty, and so are the remedies for their wounds." Moon nods in understanding, and pokes it out of curiosity. "Careful, we don't know what that might do on untouched–"

"Wicke? I'm here to leave these– oh."

Wicke and Moon look up from her arm to find Gladion, clad in his laboratory coat and turtleneck, staring at them. All she can do is stare back at him, unsure of what to say or how to explain how she got here.

They stand in an awkward, silent limbo before his piercing emerald eyes navigate to her arm. He hasn't even said hello yet. "Your arm. What happened?"

"Eh?" Snapping out of it, she looks at the very ugly mark and winces. "I, um… Toxapex happened. Toxapex was playing with me earlier and got too excited. I ran out of medical supplies, so I came here."

Moon hopes her Toxapex won't mind being the criminal this time around. Gladion leaves his notepad on a table and walks towards her. Her first instinct is to hide the mark from him, but he's quick to delicately grab her wrist to have a better look at it.

He scowls. "And you came here? Weren't you close to any Pokémon Center? How were you so irresponsible to run into the wild without supplies?"

This time, she doesn't know how to reply to his scolding, and has no choice but to back down. "I–"

"The Champion had a few matters to discuss with me, and this isn't anything severe, young Master. You don't need to worry."

Gladion looks away. He looks embarrassed, and in her dazed state, Moon would even dare say he looks cute, but he's always been cute, hasn't he? "I– _ugh_. I know, but that doesn't exactly look pretty. How did your Toxapex even do this, anyway?"

She's unsure why she can't formulate an answer, _anything_. Her tongue is tripping over itself and no excuses are coming out. Moon finds herself marveling at the softness of his touch, how he holds her demandingly, but also carefully, almost like he cares, like he doesn't want to hurt her, and the thought alone sends butterflies down her stomach.

Wanting to relish in the feeling, Moon's eyes fall shut for a split second, but Gladion wakes her up with a small shake. "Moon? Moon, wake up. What's wrong with you today? Are you okay?"

Blessed Wicke comes to the rescue and pats Moon's back, alerting her that Gladion is growing suspicious. Moon opens her eyes again, stiffening to put up an act, but he looks so unhappy and irritated it's clear the act isn't working.

Before she can say a word, Wicke shrugs it off as professionally as she can. "She must be tired. She mentioned having a tiring day. Perhaps our Champion is finally at her limit."

Moon grumbles something akin to a quip that dissolves halfway as Gladion seamlessly helps her off the hard bed she's sitting on.

Next thing she knows, she's being gently taken elsewhere and then sat down, and when her mind catches up with her surroundings, she can't even remember how she got here in the first place– all she knows is that she's now on a bed.

No, she's _in_ a bed. With a blanket on top. A pillow under her head. Light streaming out the window, orange, and Moon realizes that it's sunset, and she met with Wicke when the sun was still up, so she must have been there for a long, long time–

"Moon."

His soft call brings her back on track. She turns her head to him. He's sitting right at the edge of the bed, frowning at her. He might not be angry, seeing as he'd be half-way through the door if that were the case– he's never done well with anger when prompted. And Moon knows she's not in a state to bargain for a middle ground.

Moon blinks, looking around herself. "Where am I?"

"We're in my room," Gladion grumbles, sighing. "Our medical bay is going through maintenance, so I had to take you here. I didn't want you to pass out in the labs."

She doesn't say a word, and instead chooses to watch him mess with his hair and sigh once again. His hair reflects the sunset sparkles from outside and his pale skin gleams under the low light, and it makes her heart soar. Despite his eternally vexing attitude and how he refuses to wear anything but black and red, he looks like an angel, almost.

He's beautiful, and the mark on her arm is the ugliest thing ever. It's not fair.

"I'm… sorry," Moon apologizes in a quiet voice, but not out of repent– she's just exhausted. The bed isn't making it any better. "I didn't wanna worry you. I had a busy day today."

He's looking at her like he can't believe her fully, and honestly, she understands why.

"I– It's fine, I just don't like seeing you like this." Gladion tears his eyes away from hers, fumbling with his sleeves. "I don't think I've ever seen you this tired. So I'm just– yeah. Worried. And wondering how you got here, too."

Gladion seems to hesitate as he meets her gaze. She's not used to being so silent, admiring him so bluntly, but at times like these, it's all she can do. Under the crimson light, she can see the faintest trace of a blush on his cheeks at her relentless staring, and she giggles breathlessly.

He's not amused, though. He looks more bothered than angry, now, with an ugly whirl of shadows clouding his face. "Honestly… what's wrong with you? Are you sick? Do you have a fever or something?"

Moon nimbly shakes her head, smiling. She feels slightly silly right now. "I just like looking at you, that's all."

A pause hangs between them.

She catches herself saying those words and her whole body seizes up. Regret washes over her, unused to exercising her flirtatious side so brazenly. It's not like they haven't had their shares of flirty quips here and there, but to be so blunt about it…

Gladion's eyes have widened several inches, and she lets herself bask in the beautiful color. He goes from red to crimson, and then turns his head to unfairly rob her of the beautiful sight that is his eyes.

"You– You can't– _ugh_." The bed creaks as he gets up, tugging at the collar of his turtleneck as he takes a step away. "I'll let you rest. Just sleep whatever you have off, and we'll talk later."

But she's not done yet. Why is he leaving? He shouldn't leave yet. She really loves his company. His presence is so calming when he's not trying to battle her, she wants to enjoy it some more.

Slow and tender, she weakly grabs his wrist. The touch is faint, but it stops him all the same. When he turns to her in askance, all she can do is smile pleadingly. "Stay? Just a little more."

"You should sleep," he says, even though he's sitting again. "You're making no sense today. You must be very, very tired. I always tell you to leave the League earlier, but you never listen to–"

She reaches for his hand again, and that shuts him up. "Do me a favor," she mumbles, lifting his hand to put it on her forehead. The warm touch of his skin makes her sigh in delight. "That feels nice… I really like your touch. It's very comforting."

Gladion is looking at her like she's grown a third eye. His cheeks are blistered. "M-Moon? What are you–"

"Warm," she murmurs, still cupping his hand and marveling at how he isn't moving it away. "Your hands feel warm. I'm a little sleepy. I never thought your hand would feel so… so…"

Her words fade as she trails off. Her head sinks a little further into the soft pillow as she treads into a dreamless, gentle slumber.

But the feeling of his hand over her forehead, protecting her from Nihilego's memory, prevails over the darkness, giving her sweet safety and comfort.

Maybe she can get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been writing *about* the quests but I never wrote the *actual* quests so here we go
> 
> I'm also skipping the prompts like a bad girl /skates away


	2. UB02 - Beauty

Moon can confidently say now that hunting Ultra Beasts is one hell of a hassle that the Interpol hadn't been very clear about.

Sure, they said it'd be a dangerous job, but they never said she might end up dead by the end of the day.

As Moon limps her way home, she curses. Pheromosa hadn't been as tormenting as Nihilego, but her devil speed had made Moon run through forests, climb mountains, and nearly get crushed by a little avalanche that Pheromosa most certainly created at the Verdant Caverns.

Moon is completely sure something is broken, but mom caught a Comfey not very long ago, so that might fix the issue.

As she thinks of the excuses she'll have to tell her mother, Moon notices a blob of blond hair at her front door. She instantly straightens her posture, foreseeing an interesting (albeit troublesome) conversation.

At the jingle of her keys, Gladion turns around. Despite Moon's prize-worthy act, Gladion still frowns. Once again, he skips greetings of any kind. "What happened this time? You look like a mess."

"Had to chase a Pokémon around Ilima's trial." She's not lying at all, and that relieves the guilt a little. "What brings you here? Do you need to heal your Pokémon or something?"

He seems taken aback by the question. Gladion averts her eyes and looks at the wooden flooring of her front door, fumbling with his hair. "Um, I thought we could hang out at the Battle Royal… but I think today might not be a good time, right?"

"Why not?"

"Do I really need to explain?" He gestures at her, urging her to take a look at herself. Moon obeys, blinking. "How are you even standing? What Pokémon could do that to you?"

At his eagerness, Moon chuckles tiredly, walking to her front door and jamming the key in. He lets her be, watching from behind– his eyes burn on her scalp. "You're full of questions today."

Moon notices that her front door is closed completely, which means that her mother isn't home. It's conveniently late, so she can just go to bed without anybody noticing the state she's in.

Well, anybody other than Gladion, who is glaring daggers at her; or, more specifically, at the holes on her dear floral shirt. She'll have to sew that tomorrow.

She takes a step towards her front door. "Moon," he calls gently. "Wait. Your arm…"

"My arm?"

"I think it's bleeding." He takes a step towards her and gingerly holds her arm up, surveying the damage with a delicate frown. She winces at his touch. Something is definitely broken. "How did you even manage to do this?

He looks at the little and bigger cuts across her arm with uncanny silence, with odd contempt. She's sure she has never seen him this concerned about her, and it's not like she's known for letting her guard down in front of her friends for these things.

Standing at the entrance of her house, washed by the moonlight, things look more intimate. They're no longer exchanging quips or battling, just idling together.

He lifts his gaze and catches her staring. Looking at each other. His scowl, her vulnerable state. He lets her arm go, but his touch lingers for a second too long.

"Maybe I should take you to a Pokémon Center," he says after a long minute, troubled. "Your arm looks… it doesn't look okay. The nurse there can take a look at it."

"I can simply sleep it off," Moon insists, waving him off."Nothing to worry about here. We can always hang out tomorrow, so… don't worry about me! All I gotta do is sleep, get some rest, and–"

When she's about to enter the house, Gladion grabs her arm again, a little tighter this time. His fingers brush the bandages wrapped around her Nihilego bite. It still stings a little.

"Let me at least take a look at your wounds," he asks. His tone makes his concern come across as irritation, but that's nothing new. He'd make wedding vows sound like a chore. "I refuse to believe none of that hurts."

"I'm fine, you're just being a worrywart."

When he gently prods her arm, Moon winces and hisses. The mixture of the sharp cuts and the swollen muscles is all sorts of painful.

Gladion's frown deepens. "See? Just let me patch you up. It will only take a moment, and you'll sleep without potentially bleeding out in your bed."

"Arceus, you're so dramatic."

She tries to sound bothered, but she ends it with a chuckle. He tries to stop her when she enters the house, only for her to raise a hand and tell him to come in.

"Wait for me in the backyard. I'm gonna get my mom's Comfey."

* * *

Moon had heard tales of how Comfey's petals can let out a very relaxing scent, but she never thought it'd work this well. The moment she sits down by Gladion on the grass, Comfey wraps herself around her arm and lets out a soothing lullaby. The fresh touch of the grass is like balm to her dry skin, and Gladion doesn't hesitate to comment, for the tenth time, how irresponsible she is.

"So a Raticate chased you around the Verdant Caverns and did _this_ to you? And you didn't even battle it?" Moon nods. She looks elsewhere so he doesn't see the lie in her eyes. "You had your Pokémon with you. Right?"

"Obviously," Moon grumbles. As he applies some sanitizer on a cut, she hisses. "It was very violent. I gotta tell Ilima to have a look at that."

Of course, she won't do any of that. It's a miracle Ilima hasn't noticed the rampaging flock of Pheromosa running amok in his trial. Maybe she shouldn't talk to him at _all_.

Gladion nods and swallows the lie hook, line, and sinker. He patches her up diligently, in silence, sometimes looking at her. She can tell he's thinking about her as he works, thinking about her lies.

Moon wishes it'd be easier to lie to him. She hates this well of guilt at the pit of her stomach, how it grumbles angrily whenever he accepts her words. How she can't look at him in the face, fearing he'll see the fear and pain swimming in her eyes.

She doesn't like lying to someone with a troubled past like his, but would he understand that she's doing this for Alola's wellbeing? Would he be okay with her risking her life on a daily basis, even if she's doing it all to protect him?

Moon knows him well. He worries more than he lets on, stresses more than necessary. Cold to the touch, a warm hugger. A worried friend. "I can send my recon squad there if you want. A very aggressive Pokémon in a public area sounds alarming."

She jolts and holds her hands up. "No, no! There's no need for that!" She didn't mean to sound so desperate. She laughs nervously at his bewilderment. "It's my duty as a Champion to also look after the habitats in the trials. So... it's okay!"

Gladion chuckles good-naturedly, shaking his head with a smidge of disbelief. "Always so diligent and tireless, aren't you?"

"I try my best."

The little Pokémon unties itself from Moon's arm. She pokes one of Comfey's flowers playfully, earning a squeal from the creature. All that's left of the probably broken arm is a dull soreness, so she calls Comfey back and watches Gladion treat her wounds.

"I can tell, though all these wounds seem unnecessary," he says, placing a band over her arm. Gladion has been staring at the wounds and Comfey incessantly, like he can't believe the wounds are there. "This isn't entirely normal, Moon."

"It is for me," she says, a little quiet. "It's my kind of normal."

Gladion finishes bandaging her forearm. His fingers stay on her patched skin for a second longer than necessary, as though he's assessing his work. The bandage is a little tight and she can tell it'll take a little for all her wounds to heal, but at least he's here with her.

Moon isn't sure why his company feels so comforting when any rational human being would say otherwise, but she decides to make the best of it. People think he's a jerk; she thinks he's great in his own way.

She leans back until her head hits the plush grass, and Moon pats the spot beside her head. "Wanna lie down? I got a pretty good view from down here."

At first, he doesn't say anything. Moon keeps staring at him, waiting it out. He chances a look at the midnight sky, the sparkling stars, and the cerulean clouds. A gentle breeze rocks his hair, and Moon is thoroughly distracted by the sight.

Then, his head snaps back to her, and to her surprise, he slants a hand right beside her head and half-peers over her, eyes narrowed. Moon blinks and gulps, aware of his scrutinizing, intense gaze. "What does that exactly mean?"

"I… what?"

Gladion's eyes narrow, glistening under the shadows of the starlight. He's genuinely conflicted and embarrassed, she can tell. "You said something similar the other day. Are you trying to embarrass me?"

His cheeks are rosy. It's very subtle, but it's there. Like magic, her cheeks heat up as well. She remembers the very incriminatingly cute things she told him that day, and even though she's well over that day's shame, the memories aren't that easy to get rid of.

His hands, so warm. His touch, so caring. His words, so condescending, but so endearing at the same time.

Moon knows they wouldn't be friends if she took his words at face value. There's more feeling than bite to their quips, and Moon has a vague idea of what that feeling exactly is.

She tilts her head to the side, pursing her lips. He tries to follow her eyes with a slight upturn of his lips. "So you _are_ trying to embarrass me."

"N-No!" Cheeks puffed, she turns to him, breathing through her nose. "I meant we could watch the– the stars together."

He blinks. Slowly. "The stars?"

"Y-Yeah." She chews on her lip. Her stomach keeps fluttering, and her heart is racing. He's close. Too close. She can smell a splash of cologne on him, and with him gazing down at her like this, she feels small. "Just the stars. I– I didn't mean to flirt with you."

"But you did the other day."

Moon's eyes grow wide at his stubbornness. "Are you _annoyed_ because I complimented you?" A little noise escapes his throat and it makes her chuckle. "Are you really embarrassed about that? Considering how unfairly attractive the Aether genes are, I thought you'd know about this already."

An outrageous heat spreads across his face. Moon laughs openly. And he sighs in exasperation. "I– _you–_ I give up, damn it."

Instead of leaving like she expects him to, he lies down right beside her, with his arms under his head and his legs crossed. She expects him to banter some more, for the lingering tension between them to evaporate via their elaborate quips and jokes, but he remains quiet. Thoughtful. Silently fuming, still blushing, and she can't help but smile.

Together, they watch the stars in complete silence. Moon's head is empty, merely taking in the sight, but it's unusual for Gladion to be so quiet for this long without making any sort of comment.

Until he does, that is.

"I'm not… used to receiving compliments from people."

Moon turns to him. "What?"

He clenches his jaw. "I'm not used to being complimented that easily," he repeats, a little tense. "The Shady House was anything but a healthy environment. And Lusamine… she wasn't the most loving of mothers, but I think you noticed that already."

All she can do is nod curtly, unsure of how to respond to that. She keeps silent, looking at him softly as he averts her eyes, sighing.

Gladion takes a deep breath. "Also, it's… it's embarrassing. But not because of the compliment itself. I don't mind compliments, aside from the fact that I'm unsure how to take them, but…"

Gladion turns to look at Moon. He seems uncertain, and from so close, she can see very light and sparse freckles crowning his nose. His hair looks feathery and soft to the touch, and if she wasn't so mesmerized and distracted by the sight, she'd reach out and comb his fringe out of his eyes' way.

Gladion is the first to break away. Moon catches the heavy gulp he takes, looking at the sky. "It's… different if it's you."

Moon is tempted to ask why, but she finds a silver of resonance in his words, and that pulls her to silence. She's no better when it comes to comparing her other friends to him. He's so different, so complex, but so intriguing at the same time.

Gladion has always been different from the rest. Different in her mind, where all she can think about is his odd forms of encouragement, his uncanny gestures of care, his rare smiles, how he sometimes looks at her when he thinks she's not looking, how he once gave her his sweater because it was raining buckets outside the League.

She smiles at him and shifts closer to him. Gladion picks up on this. "Wait, what–"

"Do you see that?" She points at a bright circle of light in the night sky. "That's part of the Swanna constellation. Professor Burnet told me challengers would guide themselves with that when they didn't have Rotom Dexes. She told me it always points home."

Gladion is skeptical about this, but hear can see the trace of a smile in his voice. "How can a constellation always point home?"

"I don't know– but hey, we're home, in Alola. Part of the legend has to be true, right?"

As they trail off into silence, Moon can feel herself growing drowsy. At some point, her head tilts to a side, and she burrows her nose on his shoulder. She's half-conscious of how he stiffens, half-conscious of a light chuckle that escapes him, half-conscious of her heart fluttering in her chest, half-asleep, half in love with him.

But she knows full well she's far from half in love.

Moon feels a caress on her forehead, her hair being pulled aside. Lips on her forehead, a caring hug.

She's home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just gonna sprinkle some Gladion angst issues never mind me--- also Gladion should really have a first aid kit whenever he meets Moon god damn it
> 
> Next chapter is gonna be.............. interesting :) /rollerblades away slips and faints


	3. UB03 - Lightning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: very mild semi-graphic descriptions of violence. Nothing too bad to turn away from, but worth the warning regardless to be safe!

Moon should have seen the escalation coming.

Normally, she'd be about ten steps ahead of her rival. Maybe eleven, if she's having a good day. It's no casualty she's won all her battles and made it out of a few too many death traps in her life, so she expects all her battles to go well, albeit not as smoothly as she always hopes them to be.

Nihilego had given her an ugly mark, nightmares, and an intoxication.

Pheromosa nearly buried her alive in an avalanche.

Xurkitree is about to absolutely _murder_ her.

It stares at her without any eyes, which tells her this creature is threatening. It looks like a disembodied Christmas tree that has grown arms, legs, and what seems to be a tail. Despite the drenching humidity around it and Moon, it issues menacing electricity. The hairs at the back of her neck stand up.

Her Flygon had been taken out of combat in one go, no pleasantries exchanged. The battle had been over before it began, and she's hesitant about releasing her other Pokémon. Flygon had gotten badly hurt. Maybe beyond what a usual battle would entail.

Slowly, Moon takes out a Beast Ball from her bag. Xurkitree wails, more akin to an old radio than a Pokémom. She gulps. "Listen, I'm not gonna hurt you."

The Ultra Beast shakes its limbs, wobbling towards her. Moon takes a step back. All the Ultra Beasts she has encountered seem to have a weird fascination with her. They don't seem to want to battle, even, but that's what Moon has been tasked to do.

"Do you want to do it the hard way, really?" Moon warns, recomposing herself. She slants a hand over her Vikavolt's Pokéball.

The creature's limbs shake once more.

Moon sighs shakily and tosses Vikavolt into battle.

Her fake grandiose airs fall ungracefully fast, though. As though throwing a tantrum, Xurkitree stabs the ground with its limbs and lights up in a flash that nearly blinds Moon. Vikavolt screeches, and the ground begins to vibrate as a current zaps through Moon's legs and sends her to the floor.

Moon shouts a weak order and Vikavolt launches itself at Xurkitree, only for it to avoid the attack and sink to the floor, skating forward across the humid grass of Lush Jungle. Moon avoids its limbs as it lunges for her, frowning and trying to scamper away– maybe this would be a good time to go back to the Pokémon Center and heal her Flygon–

One of Xurkitree's black limbs wraps around her. _Tight_. If it's trying to squeeze the life out of her, then it's doing a great job. The grip slides up until it's holding her above the ground, squeezing her throat. With one easy swipe, her Pokéballs scatter into the grass and all she's got left is to tug at the Ultra Beast so it lets her go.

The edges of her sight begin to blur, and the eyeless creature screeches at her angrily. Blood pumps in her ears and rushes to her head, scrambling for a way out of Xurkitree's death grip.

Is this how she'll die? Choked by an Ultra Beast? She tries to shout at her Vikavolt so it can attack properly, but her Pokémon has long buried underground, probably planning a powerful attack that might reach her a little too late.

Moon tries to scream. She can't. She tries to kick and fight. She can't. She tries to sob and cry and plead for the Ultra Beast to not kill her, but it won't listen. She can't.

She's weak, useless without her Pokémon. Her eyes brim with tears, feeling air fail her. Her lungs lurch in agony, her head feels heavy, her throat hurts, _everything hurts_ –

" _Moon_!"

Xurkitree screams at the men coming her way. Moon can barely register the voice, but it's familiar and warm. A tone of horror, a bit of hoarseness. It's starting to rain, and Xurkitree retreats with her in its hold.

She hears commands around her. The Ultra Beast is growing anxious, holding her even tighter. She hears more orders, panic, and angst filling the wet air around her–

Just as the corners of her sight fill with darkness, the ground beneath them shakes, and Xurkitree wails and throws her across the clearing, hopping away between trees as she lands and rolls on the grass, dizzy and light-headed.

Soft, trembling hands hold her up. Fingers hold her chin up. Moon opens her eyes, barely. Gladion.

With a shaky voice, he inspects the bruises on her body. "M-Moon? What– What happened to you? What… what's this? What was that? _What_ –"

She groans as his hold tightens. He's looking at one of his hands with a blank glare, although he's shaking and his jaw is awfully tense. Something red coats his fingers.

Oh. So she's also bleeding.

As her eyelids begin to fall shut, he gently shakes her. "Don't fall asleep. Y-You need to stay awake. Do it for me. Can you do that for me?" Moon can't speak. She can't find any words, so she resorts to staying awake as he cradles her face to his neck. "Help is coming, okay? Just– Just stay awake. Please, stay awake. That thing– it's gone. ´They're fending it off. It won't hurt you anymore."

Moon tries to move. Why is he panicking? She's strong. She'll be fine. It's not that bad. And why is he here? He shouldn't be here. Even if he saved her life just now.

Strength leaves her body. She slackens in his hold. She hears him call her name over and over before black takes over her.

* * *

In her dreams, the world is a void. She's alone, floating in outer space. There's the low chime of creatures floating underneath her, goading her to come with them to a secret paradise, away from Alola, from her friends, from the world she's so comfortable in.

These dreams are uncharted territory. They pull her deeper and deeper into a black world that, no matter the time that passes, keeps getting darker and darker.

She sinks further and further. She sees her friends leaving her. She sees Alola turning its back on her. Everything is falling to shambles, but as the beasts approach her from below, things begin to piece themselves back together, in sweet oblivion.

Moon's body comes back to before her, and as she feels she might be falling, her eyes shoot open. Her body pushes up and she tries to sit up, but two hands ease her back down.

"Careful, Moon. Your wounds are not fully healed yet. Take it easy, please."

Anabel gently lowers her against the mattress. Her body feels like lead, and the blankets are unnaturally stiff. Though, she's pleasantly warm.

Moon flutters her eyes open once more. Before her bed, Looker is sitting on a stool, his head bowed down. Nanu is leaning against the wall, looking at her with his usual lack of emotion. To her surprise, Wicke is also there, with her hands folded in front of her as she stares at Moon in concern.

And then there's Gladion, the man she's recently realized she's heavily crushing on; seated on a couch with a very, _very_ unhappy glare to his eyes. Moon's whole spirit falls to the floor.

"She's awake now," he snaps. There's a vicious edge to his voice that shakes Moon into full conscience. "I think I deserve an explanation now. I've waited long enough."

Wicke approaches him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Young Master, this matter is… delicate. We didn't mean to withhold information from you."

Gladion whips his eyes towards Wicke. "I think they have made that clear about ten times now, but this–" he gestures at Moon. When their eyes connect – hers weak, and his too intense – he sighs and grabs his shaky hand. "Why didn't anyone inform me about _this_? Do you want me to believe this is for Alola's good? That Moon landing herself in a hospital every day will benefit Alola somehow?"

A hush falls on the room. Looker's jaw clenches, and Anabel looks at Moon with a dejected glint in her eyes. The silence is so loud and Moon feels so weak she wishes she could go back to sleep.

But she can't go back to sleep. Gladion is worried, Alola is in danger, and–

Moon tries to sit up, and about _everyone_ except Nanu reaches out to make her lie back down, but only Gladion gets to her. Cradling her shoulders, he shakes his head vehemently. "You need to–"

"To rest? I know that," Moon says with a wince. There's something swollen on her side. That doesn't feel good. "I wanna sit up. And there's work to do, still."

"Do not worry about that," Anabel insists, frowning. "First things first, Moon. You need to stay in bed for a while. An _extensive_ while."

"What about the Ultra Beasts?"

"There have been no sightings of them yet, and we need to talk about what happened in your last mission." Moon has no time to talk. Anabel speaks again, this time more seriously. "You managed to weaken Lightning before it seized you. According to the president's recon squad, they were in the middle of an incursion into Lush Jungle when they found you, and they scared it away."

And now, they're here: Gladion is furious, Anabel and Looker are unhappy, and everyone is concerned about something she should have managed just fine.

Moon chews her lip, sitting up more firmly. "I'm… I'm sorry. I should have gotten rid of it when I had the opportunity, but I tried to catch it, and yet…"

Looker finally looks up, stern. "No need to apologize. Lightning is fearsome, and we will have the opportunity to catch it some other time. You must focus on healing and feeling better. If anything comes up during your recovery stay, we will deal with it. Seeing how events have unfolded, secrecy would have ultimately costed your life if Mr. Gladion had not been there."

To her left, Gladion pushes his chair closer to the bed. Despite Anabel and Looker's clear good intentions, he's seething. "I still haven't received a proper explanation as to why this was hidden from me. Not only were you operating with Aether's collaboration, but you roped one of my associates and friends into your network."

"Ms. Wicke offered her help to us first and foremost, and she was contractually obliged to keep this a secret," Anabel explains. "You must understand that despite the evident mishaps in our plans, Moon's safety has always been in our minds."

"Stop lyin' to the kids. That's not gonna fix this mess."

Nanu's voice rumbles through the argument. Moon isn't sure if he smokes, but he sure looks like he needs one.

"We are _not_ lying," Anabel says.

"Whatever you say, but you know it's not her fault she's like that. You knew perfectly well that no rational human being would jump into the mission if Alola wasn't in the line. It's just not possible," Nanu says all too nonchalantly. Moon feels herself growing cold. "And you still told her to keep it a secret and didn't give her any help."

"We have Looker as a backup," Anabel insists, now a little meeker. "And me, if necessary."

"And where was all that backup today?" Gladion asks. "I didn't see any backup with her. All I saw was her Vikavolt, her Pokémon, and that… _thing_ , whatever it's called. Care to explain why she was all alone when I found her?"

"Exactly. I've seen the kid battling. She's not dumb. But you know why she's there. And you still sent her alone to her own luck." Nanu shakes his head, sighing. He pinches the bridge of his nose.

Looker hops off his stool, hands on his hips. "Moon agreed to keep this a secret and–"

"Stop defending this mess. You're trying to rope her into this when you know full well it's _your_ fault." The kahuna points at Gladion, who sits close to Moon. "You see that guy? He's seen enough of this shit. And she has, too. Spare them the excuses and rethink this whole thing. I don't wanna have to deal with another dead Faller on my back, let alone if it's _your_ fault."

The sole mention of that foreign word – Faller – makes Anabel and Looker gasp in horror, and Moon is left to wonder how back all this goes.

Wicke sees the situation that's about to unfold and holds her hands up. Her efforts, however, are to no avail. Looker takes a step towards Nanu. "Mr. Nanu, I must remind you that we have always protected our agents' backs. You _know_ this."

Nanu snickers all too cruelly. "So you think losing an agent and finding her washed up by the sea was _protection_?"

"No, but–"

" _Stop_!"

Moon's distressed cry cuts through their argument. She's clenching the blankets draped over her legs, and she takes a deep, deep breath as the anger suddenly stretches tight in the room. She combs a strand of hair off her face and faces Anabel and Looker with a frown. " _Please_ , stop all of this."

Nanu sighs and turns to the door, looking at Anabel and Looker one last time before shaking his head.

"Whatever. Made your bed, now lie on it. I'm out."

The kahuna leaves with a sound _slam_ that makes Moon grimace. The silence he leaves behind is anything but tender– it's tense, heavy. There's something left unsaid that hangs over them and is making Moon think things might not exactly be as they seem.

Gladion's hand covers her own on the blankets, and there goes her concern. Her heart leaps in her chest in a familiar motion. If he wasn't holding it so tightly, she'd withdraw it out of shame; though, his touch is gentle. Protective.

She has no time to think about what all of that entails, though.

"I won't let Moon go on another mission alone. I can't physically restrain her, but if she goes, _I_ will from now on. I don't care about your approval. I'll go with her as a proper backup."

Her lips part in surprise, instantly against the idea. "Gladion, it's too dangerous. I'm gonna be fine on my own, even if I kinda failed today. You know I'm fully capable of handling the situation. I've seen much worse."

Gladion scowls at her. "I know you have. I trust _you_ , but I don't trust anyone here to judge the danger of the situation. Seeing how things have gone today, I can't do that. I'm not going to stand aside and just _watch_ when I can help you."

While that comment would warm her heart and probably set her cheeks on fire on any normal day, this is anything but that; the thought of him in the same danger she faced today makes her stomach lurch uncomfortably. "It's still too dangerous. I don't wanna see you get hurt like I did."

"Do you think I'll just stand by knowing you're in _this_ much danger? No. Absolutely not." Gladion turns to Anabel and Looker. "Keeping secrets has landed her in a hospital. You might have Wicke's approval, but so far, you don't have mine."

Looker is about to reply, but Anabel grabs his shoulder and gently pushes him back, sighing.

"He has a point, Looker. First Symbiont, and now Lightning… we cannot know for how long this will possibly go."

The other agent shakes his head, and stares at Moon and Gladion in thought. "Mr. Gladion is of no use to the mission. Not like Moon is, at least."

What is that even supposed to mean? Gladion is plenty capable on his own– he's given her more hell than any trainer she knows, and she's very much including Hau and a lot of the kahunas in that list. If she weren't the Champion, she's sure he'd be sitting on her throne.

But he's not only a capable trainer, he's also one of her dearest friends, and that overrules about everything else– his safety comes first, always.

Gladion is rightfully offended by that comment. "I'll protect her and help you fight those Ultra Beasts. I'd call that useful. Besides, I have a bone to pick with them as well, and I can access Lusamine's archives if necessary– well, if Wicke hasn't already."

Wicke shakes her head. "I have, but most information there was merely speculatory. Most of the Ultra Beast sightings are brand new and come from other dimensions that not even Mr. Mohn investigated in his day."

Gladion may appear neutral to the mention of his father, but she sees a slight crinkle of his eyes. "I see… then this will be a field job through and through."

Anabel nods. "If Moon is willing to work with you, I have no problem with accepting your help. However, bear in mind that this job might take long, and now more than ever, you must be aware of how draining this work will be."

"I have no problem with that." Gladion turns to her, running his thumb over her knuckles. "Is it okay with you?"

Moon wants to say no, no and a thousand times _no_ , because there's nothing in this world she wouldn't do to protect him– but she can't lie to herself anymore. The Ultra Beasts have an exhausting aura that makes battling a chore, and they're so aggressive she's unsure if her battling prowess will be enough.

"Okay," she says softly, sighing. "We can have each other's backs, and you gotta stay safe above anything else. Let's try to not make this a deadly mission. That way… maybe we can get some good training out of this."

Gladion nods with a little wry smile, and Anabel sighs in relief. Looker doesn't look all that pleased, though. "I advise you to be careful from now on, as we cannot know how the Ultra Beasts will react to Mr. Gladion's presence. Also…"

Looker vaguely gestures at them. Moon and Gladion look down and come to the crashing realization that they're still holding hands, much to their mortification. A rabid blush spreads across her cheeks.

Wicke giggles into her hand, and Anabel smiles while Looker sighs with a tired, small uprise of his mouth. "I recommend you do not make holding hands a habit as to not attract the media's attention. Making your affections public at a time like this would be far from desirable."

Moon and Gladion snatch their hands and he pulls away from her until he's sitting at a healthy distance from her. He hides his blush with a hand while Moon just lies back down and wonders if she'll be able to comply with Looker's request at a time like this.

Maybe getting her crush involved with a life-threatening mission isn't a good idea.

(The answer is no, it is not.)

(Absolutely not.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the i in lonashipping stands for 'intense'
> 
> and the n is for 'nanu is so done with everyone's shit'


	4. UB04 - Blaster

"Did we really have to dress like this for the occasion?"

Moon lowers her newspaper and turns to Gladion, who sits right beside her. She grins cheekily at him. "Why? Don't you like the outfits I picked for us?"

Gladion fidgets with his bright yellow shirt. His folded arms tighten. "I can't figure out why wearing this will help with the mission. I think you just wanted to go shopping with me."

She waves him off with a wide smile. Celesteela's signal had been picked at the Malie Gardens, a heavily crowded place. Anabel has been struggling to get people out of the facility, so Moon thought that if people saw the Champion and Aether's President together, they'd think this is a dangerous situation.

Which it is, but that's a secret. So far, there are still people in the Malie Gardens that just _refuse_ to leave, and the owners of the park aren't willing to lose sales on the tea shop, where Gladion and Moon patiently wait for Celesteela to appear.

To help their undercover mission, Moon picked outfits with the help of Sina and Zexio. In her head, their clothes are the stereotypical blatantly tourist-ish look. Horrendous, but perfect.

Gladion diligently reads his notes. "What do you think about Celesteela?"

She flicks her eyes to him, arching an eyebrow. "I haven't seen the Ultra Beast yet, so I have little to no expectations. Saying ' _it burns things_ ' is the kind of eloquence you can expect from the International Police."

Gladion chuckles, but silence hangs between them. After the incident with Xurkitree and accepting Gladion's company, things are a little easier on her side, though she's not entirely sure bringing him along is a good idea. If the Ultra Beasts' energy affects him the same way it does to her, he'll be in trouble, and Moon wants _anything_ but trouble.

And then there's Celesteela. She looks up from her newspaper, narrowing her eyes. "We've been here forever."

"So?"

"It's weird for an Ultra Beast to take this long to pop up," Moon explains, biting her lip. "Normally, it takes _minutes_. You have to chase them a little, but they've always come to me very quickly. We should be able to see Celesteela in a space as open as this."

Not to mention that the Malie Gardens are laden with vegetation, grass, and cherry trees, now pink in spring. Moon can't expect Celesteela to be bigger than any other Ultra Beast, so any fire in the forests would be minimal, albeit less than welcome.

Gladion nods in understanding. "Should we seek it out? Maybe Celesteela will come out if we walk around."

"I'm waiting to see if it comes out on its own. I don't want it to grow anxious. Ultra Beasts get really worked up whenever I approach them." And considering this thing can _burn_ , that might cause a disaster. "Let's give it a few more minutes."

Again, he nods. Moon gives him a little look, surprised by his willingness to obey. The few times they had collaborated during her island challenge, Gladion had been more stubborn than submissive. He was a nuisance to work with at times, but it's good to see that has changed.

She looks around the nearly empty garden, at the cherry blossom trees. Moon remembers the first time she came here and thought Gladion would appreciate how peaceful and quiet it was at night. And the tea is delicious, too. It's just as mysteriously calm and quiet as he is.

"Maybe when this is over," Moon begins, folding her newspaper nervously, "we can come here?"

He blinks at her in surprise. "You mean hang out here? There are no malasadas here, I doubt Hau will be happy."

Alright, that's a good point– but one she didn't mean to make. "I mean– without Hau. Just the two of us."

"Oh." Moon purses her lips. Gladion blinks again, furiously so. He looks equal parts embarrassed and outraged. "Y-You mean on a date?"

Moon's newspaper drops to the ground as she scrambles to clarify, "N-No! I mean, not necessarily a _date_ – Not like I'd mind anyway, but it doesn't need to be a date, it's not like we're–!"

The ground under the bench shakes violently, and a deafening noise ripples across the gardens, much like an explosion. The vibration nearly sends Moon and Gladion rolling off the bench. A blinding crimson light flashes between the cherry blossoms at the back, making Moon cover her eyes.

Moon watches in pure horror how an enormous beast blasts off from the forest with a joyous squeal and takes off to the sky, leaving a puff of smoke and fire to take over the forest. People around them scream in horror, and a few feet away, Anabel struggles to calm everyone down.

A thickening veil of smoke issues from the forest– and where there's smoke, there has to be fire. The crowds away from the forest. Babies cry in the background. Moon can see sparks of fire coming from deep within the blossoming forest.

A jet of fire comes from within, nearly hitting a civilian. More screams ring out, and a pained wail rings through the gardens. Moon hops off the bench and takes off towards the fire source, but Gladion is quick to stop her. "Moon, where the _hell_ are you going?"

"Looker said there are two of those things in here, I have to go catch the other Celesteela!" Moon yells through the panicking crowds. "We already lost one of them, I can't let the other get away!"

His hand tightens around her arm. "Are you insane? That thing is shooting fire left and right! What if it hits you?"

She frowns at him, wringing her arm out of his grip. "It won't! If someone doesn't catch it, the whole forest is gonna burn down!" Gladion seems conflicted; Moon uses that moment of hesitation to hand him her Pokéballs. "Take my team and lead the civilians away. Call Lana over to help with the fire– Toxapex and I will deal with Celesteela."

Gladion is about to say something, but she takes off without another word, paying no heed to his calls. Gladion will do better at helping Anabel lead people away than this; the thought of anything happening to him here is enough to scare her shitless.

Moon jumps into the forest. A burning tree threatens to fall on her, but she dodges it, rolling across the path. She stumbles to stand again. Despite her expertise, she had never expected a forest fire to be this suffocatingly hot. As she runs deeper and deeper, the fire and Celesteela's energy mix into an overwhelming combo.

The fire is consuming everything. Fire is turning the beautiful cherry blossoms into dust. The forest she so wanted to visit with Gladion… it's falling apart.

Moon sees a clearing and tosses Toxapex out. The Pokémon inspects her surroundings curiously, and Moon steps into the clearing to find none other than Celesteela.

Right as she steps into view, the creature screeches and fires another beam into the forest, aimless. It's half-buried into the ground, with one arm shooting fire while the other tries to lodge itself out of the soil.

When the Ultra Beast sees her, it locks its aim on her, screaming. Moon panics and ducks right on time; she barely misses a fire that, behind her, Toxapex blocks easily.

She turns to her Pokémon, pointing at the ground. "Toxapex, shoot at Celesteela! We need to get it out of there before it burns the whole forest down! Use Scald!"

The Pokémon complies gladly and starts shooting at the Ultra Beast. Celesteela is trying to get out more vigorously since it put its eyes on Moon, but the more it struggles, the more it shoots fire in desperation, as though that's gonna solve anything.

Eventually, Toxapex shoots hard enough for Celesteela to be pushed out of the ground. It shoots off in a puff of fire and sparks, with a gleeful squeal, and causes the ground to break and shake vigorously. Moon struggles to keep standing, coughing. Smoke wraps itself around her in a suffocating combo of ashes and dust.

Celesteela doesn't immediately take off to space, though. It hovers above the crater it's created, eyeing her calmly. Its rocket arms spin dangerously, and Toxapex readies itself for the fight.

"Toxapex, use Scald again!"

The fight isn't very long, as Celesteela is weakened quickly by the heat; however, it's a chore to catch. Moon has thrown about ten Beast Balls at it, and all that's left of them is the crisp husks shattered under Celesteela's rocket arms.

And its energy is… overwhelming. Toxapex is running out of stamina and things are falling apart. The forest is turning black around her, with the cherry blossom trees disappearing into ash, and the Ultra Beast's energy is pulling her to the ground. She feels weak, nimble. If she doesn't capture Celesteela quickly, she'll lose a battle for the second time.

Celesteela bursts out of another Pokéball and Moon wants to scream.

"Silvally, use Surf!"

A layer of water soaks the ground and coats her ankles in a weirdly soothing wave. The crater under the Ultra Beast is filled with water and Celesteela is pushed back by the force, sinking to the ground slowly.

A familiar cobalt Pokéball is thrown, but before Moon can check on whether it worked or not, she falls to her knees, panting for air. Gentle but frantic hands catch her, sitting her down.

"If you ever run off without me into a _fire_ again, I'm putting shackles on you!" Gladion barks, holding her close. He's sunk to his knees, she notices, but she's not in a state to notice anything other than him. "Are you alright? Did Celesteela hurt you?"

"No… I'm just a little tired," she mutters, trying to stand up. Gladion holds her down, frowning. "Let me get up, Celesteela–"

"It stayed in the ball. The forest is safe now."

Moon turns her head to the crater. The Beast Ball floats on the water, rocking quietly as the breeze carries the ashes away. She sighs and lets her head fall on his chest, letting herself relax. Toxapex approaches her, wailing softly in concern.

Gladion shifts her as he sits down, holding her. "Rest. Lana is taking care of the other fires, and nobody was hurt… other than you, that is." His grip tightens. "Arceus, Moon. You should have waited for me. Why did you do that? I have to keep you safe, you shouldn't–!"

Her head lolls to the side, and as she begins to doze off, he wakes her up again. The water under her legs is cold, but she feels strangely warm and tired. It's like all energy has been sucked away from her body and all that's left is her body. She knows Gladion has very legitimate concerns, but she can't bring herself to properly address them, let alone speak.

His hands shake as he cradles her. "Moon? Talk to me. What's wrong?"

"It's… it's fine. I'm fine." Her voice is a low murmur. Her eyes are shutting close. "I feel a little dizzy. It's… it's always like this with Ultra Beasts. Aren't you tired, too?"

"It was a short fight. I'm tired because I was looking for you all over the damn forest, if anything." Moon chuckles, and he growls. "It's _not_ funny! I thought something happened to you! I already told you I didn't– you shouldn't have–"

His words dissolve into a frustrated groan. Moon can't blame him for not knowing what to say. She isn't much better than him.

Moon turns her head to look behind her. The forest, as far as she can see, has mostly burnt to the ground. Her heart falls through her stomach, and her eyes sting.

"I… I failed."

"What?"

"I failed. Again," she mumbles, leaning onto his chest again. "The forest… it's burnt down. If I had been faster and more ready, things… it all would've worked out."

His warm, strong arms wrap around her. They're like a shield. Tender. Warm around her. It feels like an embrace, and no longer a simple cradle. "None of this is your fault. The forest burning down, I mean. You captured Celesteela."

"No, _you_ did."

"Only because you weakened it for me," he assures. If she focuses, if she digs through the clouds numbing her down, she can feel his nose press on the crown of her head. "One Celesteela might have flown away, but Malie is safe thanks to you, now."

Moon shakes her head. "Us. Thanks to _us_."

A chuckle. "Thanks to _us_. Okay. I can take that."

A gentle silence. His heartbeat under her ear, the sizzling of fire fading out of existence. The ripples of the water. Toxapex leaning against her. She sighs.

"I… I wanted to watch the cherry blossoms with you," she confesses. He stiffens. "I thought we could come here, together. I was here with Hau once. He said he wanted to take Lillie, too. And I thought… we could be here, just the two of us. And now it's gone. I'm sorry."

As she trails into silence, Gladion shakes her awake again. Moon picks up the shake of his body, how he's holding her very tightly– just like she once saw him hold Silvally after fighting Guzma, years back, in front of the Aether Mansion.

"I should've come here with you," he laments, taking a deep breath. "Promise me you'll be more careful next time. Please. Just– just promise me that."

"Okay."

"Promise it for real this time."

Moon giggles gently. "Alright, I promise. For real this time."

She feels him smile against her hair. It warms her heart, the thought of him smiling. Holding her close. Caressing her hair. She doesn't want to be protected at the cost of her dearest people's safety, and yet…

"Mallow and Lana will fix this. Rest. I'll take you back if necessary." Gladion runs a hand up and down her arm soothingly. "And… when the park looks a little less burnt, we can come here. Together. Just the two of us, like you said earlier."

Moon smiles, trying to be teasing. "On a date?"

He shakes his head, not in outright denial, but embarrassment. Nobody would blush like that while rejecting someone. "J-Just sleep a little. We'll talk about that later."

Moon sleeps in his arms with a smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moon: Gladion I promise to now rely on you forever with my life  
> Moon:  
> Moon: oh I hear danger and I now have amnesia if you will excuse me-
> 
> yes Moon still not relying on Gladion fully is just a funny way to torture people, things will get fun next chapter heheheheh


	5. UB04 - Blade

"I want to lead the mission today."

Gladion's tendency to just start things off so abruptly without doing as much as saying hello is ridiculous.

"What?"

He sighs without irritation. "I said I want to lead today. We're headed to Po Town, right?"

Moon looks ahead beyond the crimson bushes and the golden leaves of the garden, catching sight of the angry clouds and uneasy weather of Route 17. She winces. "Sadly, we are."

He hums. "Looker mentioned that it's a pretty dangerous specimen as well, and Po Town never mixes well with bad omens."

"Saying 'the Blade specimen cuts through things' isn't exactly a bad omen, it's just a terrible explanation."

Gladion chuckles, putting his hands on his hips. The smile lingers a little. She lets herself enjoy the view. "Right. It's still dangerous, and I don't want any risks after what happened the other day. Your burns are barely cured."

Moon puffs her cheeks in annoyance. She doesn't like the light accusation in the quip. "Hey, not my fault Alola is flooded with Ultra Beasts. And seeing how things went last time, we might find Kartana just as easily."

He frowns. "That's not exactly assuring, though I suppose there's not much to burn here." As they walk out of the hibiscus garden and into Route 17, Gladion holds up a hand. "And rain should make that a little harder as well."

Moon hands Gladion a black raincoat while she puts on her Rowlet-themed one. The black hood of the raincoat barely covers his platinum bangs. They walk onwards through the scarcely pavemented path to Po Town, and at the entrance of the dainty police station stands Nanu, eyeing them with a bored expression.

"Huh. So you kids are still going through with this." Moon realizes he has a half-consumed cigarette in his hands. "Not tired of getting hurt yet?"

"Trust me, we are," Moon assures, sighing. "But it's not like we're gonna let those things just around. Or, maybe you wanna take our mantle and deal with it on your own, but I think you don't want that."

"Nah, knock yourselves out. In the metaphorical sense. Don't give me trouble. I don't wanna clean any more messes. I think the thing you're looking for is chilling by the entrance." Nanu gestures at Gladion with his cigarette. "And you, kid. Careful with the girl. She's gonna jump into another fire if you let her."

Gladion appreciates the joke, somehow, grinning. "Thankfully, it's raining. But I will take your advice."

Before Moon can get into an argument with the two, Gladion takes her arm and leads her away, closer to Po Town. Moon huffs, but otherwise doesn't fight him. "I already promised I'd stay safe. Is this why you said you wanna lead?"

They stop right before the high grass patches to the right. This place was dotted with countless Team Skull grunts in the past; it's hauntingly empty now. Things aren't as uneasy and eerie with Gladion by her side, which is an additional bonus she hadn't accounted for but is extremely thankful for.

"Not really. I want to test a theory."

"A theory?"

He nods. "I want you to stay behind for today. I'd like to see how they behave towards me instead of you. That way I can also ensure you're safe for a change."

Gladion takes a ball out of his bag – Silvally's, she presumes – and he tosses it up and down in contemplation. She fidgets with the laces of her raincoat. "We already talked about this. You saved my life the other day, and I compromised to be a little more careful."

"That's… that's not it," he says, gulping. "I know you can protect yourself. And that Ultra Beasts are just a little overwhelming. But I also know Po Town better than you, and… I want to protect you this time. Instead of _you_ protecting me."

"It's my job to protect you." Before he can get offended, she rushes to clarify. "As a Champion, I mean. I have to protect all of Alola, and that includes you. And I don't think I need to explain _why_ you're important for me to protect, so let's just–"

A screech fills the air and Gladion pushes Moon to the ground, ducking them both behind a boulder. Moon hisses in pain, and through the rain, she can feel something speeding towards them. That particular pull of energy catches her off-guard, so much so that air is knocked out of her and Moon clutches her chest, panting.

The Ultra Beast is right behind them, at the other side of the boulder.

Before Moon can ask why he just did this, she hears another wail, and the cracking of the boulder as Kartana slices it in precise halves. The blade pierces between Gladion and Moon and misses her knee by an inch, making her shudder.

Moon can _feel_ Kartana lingering behind the boulder. Waiting for them to come out, possibly looking for her.

She considers the risks of revealing herself to spare Gladion; maybe she can run into Po Town to distract the Ultra Beast, and Gladion can chase after her and Kartana to catch it–

The energy begins to fade. Moon, still holding her breath, slowly peers through the alarmingly clean gap in the rock. Kartana is retreating slowly, hovering over the ground. It's so, _so_ small.

The creature stands before the door to Po Town, jammed close. When the wailing doesn't work to open it, it angrily swipes one of its arms at the door until the gates fall open. Kartana silently hovers in.

Moon releases a sigh, getting up with shaky legs. Gladion gets up as well, helping her up with a hand. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, thank you. You got a good eye. And good reflexes, too."

"I spotted something white roaming and saw it speeding towards us. I was concerned it'd target you, too." Gladion runs a hand through his bangs, clenching his jaw. "It was alarmingly aggressive to us."

"Anabel told me they're not usually this fighty. They're just a little confused by Alola." Moon feels herself lose her bearings for a second, and holds onto the boulder for balance. "Their energy is… strange, too. I can't explain why. I'm feeling dizzy again."

Gladion eyes her for a few seconds, and then looks at Po Town. "Kartana is headed towards Po Town. We should hurry before it destroys anything else."

Moon nods and takes a step to follow him; a hand stops her. Not a hand he's holding up, but a hand he's _offering_ to her. The implications thereof make her cheeks blister under the gray rain, and if she looks closely at his cheeks, she can swear he's in a similar predicament.

"W-What are you doing?"

"You said… you said you're dizzy," he stammers, almost defensively. "And Po Town might be empty, but it's still dangerous. It wouldn't be the first time somebody has been taken away while walking around."

The truth he reveals makes her nearly stumble; she takes his hand, and he gives it a welcoming squeeze that makes her heart flutter. "I… I didn't know Guzma kidnapped people."

"He's stubborn as a mule, and he doesn't like people arguing with him. You're not the first one he's lead into Po Town with _just not very great_ intentions." Gladion leads her through the gates, and stops to inspect the now barren street, the wet road, and the desolate buildings. "Anyway, so I did a little bit of investigation."

She appreciates the change of topic greatly. "Do tell."

"Wicke still keeps some of Lusamine's hand-written reports on the few Ultra Beasts sightings in Aether Paradise. As far as Wicke could tell me, most Ultra Beasts aren't in Alola on purpose. It's Lusamine's fault we have to deal with this mess to begin with."

He clicks his tongue in annoyance. His shoulders are tense under the raincoat, and his jaw is squared unnaturally tight. "We'll finish them off. Together."

The word _together_ makes his hand stiffen. His next words are a bashful stutter. "R-Right. So most of these Ultra Beasts are looking for a way home, and they get really worked up when they sense danger. They're very nervous by nature. Hence why they might be so violent towards you."

Moon had already assumed that from the get-go, based on Nihilego's odd behavior. Pheromosa had been a bit less fighty and more on the fleeing side, whereas Xurkitree had straight-up tried to murder her and Celesteela hadn't been close behind. They sometimes fight _her_ , not her Pokémon, and no matter what happens to her or them, they end up by her side.

They want something from her, that's for sure, but what?

Moon's lips part. "Is that why you wanna go ahead? You wanna be the bait?"

"Well, when you put it that way, it sounds like I'm about to put my life on the line."

"You sort of _will_ , seeing how Kartana–"

" _Yah! Taaaah!_ "

Gladion lets out a loud yell, letting go of her hand and sinking to the floor. Moon's breath lodges itself in her throat as drips of blood splatter on the wet ground. She screams his name, and the world tilts and nearly makes her fall to his side to make sure he's okay, to make sure this is just a nightmare and that he's okay–

Kartana screeches and nearly cuts through her. Moon has no time to attend Gladion's wounds as she has to dodge Kartana's attacks. It's much more hellbent on reaching and _killing_ her than any other Ultra Beast.

Moon fumbles for her Pokéballs on her hip. "I– Toxapex, you're up!"

The Pokémon flashes to life and blocks one of Kartana's attacks, making the Ultra Beast hiss. Toxapex nods at Moon, and she encouragingly nods back, signaling her Pokémon to attack.

"Cover my back while I take Gladion to safety– tear it to shreds if necessary!"

The Pokémon cries and lunges towards Kartana as it tries to cut towards Moon again. She runs towards Gladion, who is clumsily covering the cut that bleeds through his trembling fingers. Droplets of blood glide against the glossy plastic fabric of the raincoat. There's an alarming gash on his raincoat, even through the zipper, and Moon can't help but fear that he's been stabbed–

"Gladion, _Gladion_!" She hurriedly kneels beside him, slapping his cheek gently. His eyes are mildly glazed, unfocused, but he turns to her nonetheless. "Gladion, are you okay? I'm gonna take you to Nanu's, just hang on there!"

He tries to move, yet groans and slumps back on the ground. "Don't… don't be ridiculous, I'm okay," he grunts, chuckling hoarsely. "This just… it hurts. I didn't know a Kartana could… cut like that. Are– are you okay?"

" _Shut up_! Of course I am!" Moon shouts, nearly a hiss of frustration. "Just shut up! I'm gonna take you to Nanu's, and then I'll deal with Kartana. Just let me–" She tries to lift him off the ground, but fails and ends up on the floor again. "God damn it, I knew this was a bad idea! I should've come here alone like I planned, and maybe you wouldn't be hurt and–"

"Arceus... you talk too much," he interrupts, and she has no time to be angry about his carelessness; he smiles, nearly a grin, but shaky and faltering with every passing second. "It's just a cut. Go give that Kartana hell. Avenge… avenge me."

"This isn't the time to crack jokes!" Moon hisses, nearly on the verge of tears. "I… I'm gonna kick your ass when I'm back!"

She hastily sheds her raincoat and puts it over him, combing his golden hair out of his eyes' way, and quickly tucks it around him before dashing after Kartana. Moon and Toxapex run towards Kartana as it cackles and runs deeper into Po Town. Moon watches out for her back, knowing that if she doesn't hurry, she will get hurt as well.

Out of thin air, Kartana glides through the air, and Moon screams– she clutches her forearm as it leaks blood under the rain.

She points at Kartana as it hovers and screeches menacingly. "Toxapex, use Scald again!"

A flurry of water soaks the Kartana to the bone. After the hit, to her surprise, Kartana has sunk to the floor. It wails at Toxapex like it's in pain, and it tries to fold back into hovering, but it just stays on the ground, seemingly growing thinner and thinner.

Paper. Moon looks up, blinking. Rain.

The Kartana lifts one of its soaked blades, cooing. She doesn't like her heartstrings being pulled at like this, but...

Moon sinks to the ground, getting on one knee. She removes her red beanie and puts it over Kartana with a tired smile. The beanie has an alarming amount of tears on it but she refuses to think about it. The Ultra Beast begins to perk up immediately, hovering in silence.

Kartana watches her from one of the tears of the bean, sheathed within the hat. Moon is surprised when Kartana doesn't bend like paper.

"I'm... I'm gonna catch you," Moon says with a pant, holding up a Beast Ball. "I should be burning you to ashes because of what you did to my friend back there, but I'm not in favor of... torturing Pokémon." Having Kartana so close, she's struggling to breathe. "And I _really_ need to have my friend checked by… by…"

Her world tilts with a pang of pain in her head, and she finds herself gasping for breath, clutching her chest. Her beanie plops on the ground.

A flash of white travels up, wailing, and she hears the telltale sound of it slicing through the air, aiming at her, to cut through her, and as the fog begins to clear and she regains her senses–

"Toxapex, use Hydro Pump!"

Toxapex shoots a colossal torrent of water as Moon sits on the floor, coughing and gasping for air. Kartana cries loudly as it lands by some bushes, finding itself trapped. She had been too naïve, thinking an Ultra Beast could listen to kindness and reason; Kartana just tried to take advantage of her vulnerability.

She can forgive fear and rashness, but not deceit– especially when her friend could be dying at Po Town's doorstep.

Moon recovers her footing with the help of her Pokémon, wobbles towards Kartana, and wordlessly throws a Beast Ball at it. Kartana stays in without as much of a complaint.

* * *

"You shouldn't be– _ow_."

"Told you it'd sting," Moon says, derisive in her joking mockery. "You protected me from Kartana once but didn't see it coming when it attacked you? I'm disappointed."

Silence hangs between them, and Moon thinks she might have done something wrong. His shirt has been removed, and all she can see now is the scars marring his pale back and a mop of golden hair, shining under the light of the motel room. His stomach has been patched up with bandages, and all that's left of the battle are a few residual cuts from Kartana and a memory that will scar.

Gladion has never liked losing, after all– and he just got slashed by an Ultra Beast. Kartana had been too fast, too cunning, and it's a miracle he made it to the motel without collapsing.

Moon bites her lip, stopping her ministrations.

"I… I'm not really disappointed."

A humorless chuckle from him. "And you were the one telling me to not joke around."

"I didn't want you to get hurt," Moon laments, sighing. She leans forward a little, caressing the ridges of a cut she's just finished cleaning. "And you still did. We won today, but it feels like we lost, somehow."

Gladion's head half-turns over his shoulder, but he doesn't look at her. Moon can also see sparkles of gold in his eyes from this position, hauntingly mesmerizing. He's made of gold, of good memories, of harsh quips and hidden care that has earned him a position in her heart.

"What happened today," she begins, sensing unease in his silence, "it can't happen again. We can't go on like this, getting hurt and patching ourselves like everything's fine. We need to do better than this."

Gladion arches an eyebrow. "You talk like you didn't try to fend off a giant for Alola's sake."

Her eyebrow falls pinched. "That's exactly what I mean. It goes both ways. We've gone through so many things... we can't afford to be reckless anymore. We can't go around, getting hurt for one another's sake. That's not going to work."

"And what do you suggest we do, then? Just let Ultra Beasts bite one of our heads off?" His tone tears into her confidence and her solemn tranquility. She sighs, staring into the plank that is his back. "I want to protect you, Moon."

"And I want to protect you, too, but we need to make a compromise. To stick together. No more heroic sacrifices, no more blood, no more running off alone. If we run, we run _together_."

And it pains her to do this, but she knows this is what's healthy. No virtuous sacrifices will save them from pain: if one of them gets hurt protecting the other one, the one that's been saved will grieve over it. It's a never-ending cycle.

If they want to keep each other safe, the best thing to do would be to keep themselves safe.

Gladion turns around. Her head is bowed, staring at her hands, folded on her lap. He covers them with his own, and as she follows his fingers, his arms, and then his shoulders, she catches sight of the bandages around his torso, where Kartana had cut through.

Moon thought it had all been a small cut, but Nanu and Wicke told her a different truth she refuses to let come to light in her mind.

"You're right. I… I know you're right," he says, sighing. "But I don't want to see you in a hospital bed again. I saw that once, I don't want to see it again."

"Well, I don't wanna see you in pain like that again."

"Yeah, but it's easier for me. I at least know you're not in any pain," he says with a dry, humorless chuckle. Moon nearly scolds him for it, but he beats her. "But I know where you're coming from. I don't particularly enjoy getting hurt, and I don't want you to get hurt, either."

"Yeah, but knowing us, we'll risk too much, play it too close, and we won't make it back. One day, we won't survive, and there's no patching we can do to fix that."

She gives her own words some thought, and despite how hard her words are to swallow, he remains silent. Moon catches sight of how his eyes bounce between their entwined hands and her eyes, lips pursed, equally conflicted.

"How are we going to protect each other, then? How do I–" A shaky sigh. The bob of his Adam's apple. "How do I protect you? How do we protect Alola without throwing our lives away?"

"By making sure we come back alive. No matter what. We'll make it back to each other, to Alola." She can easily see him complaining, so shakes her head to prevent his words. "I know it sounds a little silly but… instead of throwing our lives away for each other, we need to live. And just– just stop being dumb. All of this is dumb."

Gladion frowns at her, at the situation, at everything. "We're in a very dangerous situation, and I came here by choice. I _want_ to help you."

She raises her eyes then. Moon lifts her hand, slowly and hesitantly, and cups his cheek. "Then help me by staying safe. We'll have each other's backs like we promised, and we won't try to get ourselves killed by some nasty Ultra Beast. Do we have a deal?"

He's quiet and still for a minute, gently leaning against her touch whilst looking at her in uncertainty. She momentarily expects a quip, and instead gets a soft nod. "We do… but I hope you know that if you fall at my feet, I'm not responsible for my actions."

"And the sentiment is reciprocated, but I know we will be okay," she whispers, "I promise."

Gladion nods nimbly. "I know," he says, just as quietly. "I know we will."

When she leans forward, exhausted, he catches her with ease, burying his nose into her disheveled hair. Her arms loop around his waist as they sit on the edge of his bed, chewing the very hard promise they have made to one another.

Moon goes to bed with the harrowing realization that it doesn't matter how much they metaphorically compete to see who will die first: in the end, one of them will turn out to be right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> got this one up later today because I had to rewrite some parts
> 
> on another note isn't that ending curious :)c


	6. UB05 - Glutton

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: mild depiction of violence, very mild, but still worth the heads up! <3

Despite their close collaboration with Anabel and Looker, they haven't met that often. Small meetings are mandatory, but there's little nuance to them except a few bits of information about the Ultra Beasts and a few choice words from Anabel about her past.

Today, Anabel sways and nearly collapses on the secluded top floor of the restaurant in Seafolk Village. Moon's always thought she's just got a weak immune system and probably needs sleep– she must be _that_ worried about Alola, losing sleep over it.

When she dashes off, she does so alarmingly slowly. Looker is often quick to shrug it off, but not today.

"The chief… her health is quickly worsening. As I feared."

Gladion turns from the door to Looker, frowning. "What do you mean?"

Looker's expression is one of grief. He shakes his head, sighing, and crosses his arms in contemplation. "She insisted on aiding us with this mission, but we knew her to be vulnerable to Ultra Beasts. It was foolish of me to think she would hold on for much longer."

Moon and Gladion share a concerned look. She frowns softly. "Looker, what's the matter? Is Anabel okay?"

"She's not, but that's what happens when you put darn fools in charge. They screw shit up."

The three turn to the door. Nanu has casually let himself in as he usually does, and instead of gracing everyone with an explanation, he walks further into the room. His hands are shoved in his pockets.

Looker merely hangs his head. "You know none of this is within our control. You knew back then, you know now. It is not my fault the chief is showing signs of weakness."

"No, it ain't your fault you don't wanna tell her a thing about why she feels this way, or why she's in danger. Of course. Not at all." His sarcasm makes Moon feel extremely uncomfortable, even if he's not addressing her; judging by Gladion's expression, he feels similarly. "But what is _your_ fault is not telling the little missy here about it. Maybe she can forgive you, but the other kid and I aren't going to."

Anytime Looker and Nanu have interacted there's been this awkward vibe, a very certain energy that Moon can't shake off. It's not physical, but more psychological and jarring than anything she's ever faced before. Nanu and Looker know each other, that much she knows, but what she doesn't know is _why_.

"Looker," Moon calls, her frown deepening. "I'd appreciate it if both of you stopped talking about us on our faces and explained what all of this is about."

Nanu snickers. It's not a pretty sound. Gladion finds nothing funny about it. "I can't find the joke in this, either. What's going on?"

Looker and Nanu share a look, one that tells Moon that whatever's gonna come up next, it won't be pretty. She braces herself for the impact, watching Nanu and Looker hesitate where at least Nanu would've spat it out like venom.

He turns to Looker one last time. "Are you gonna tell the kid or do I have to do your job again?"

He looks at Moon, at Gladion, and then at Nanu. He turns his head to a side, remaining silent for a few seconds.

When he talks, he's more than saddened.

"Moon," he begins, "you are a Faller."

Moon turns to Gladion, hoping he knows what he's talking about. She's met with the same confusion. "A Faller?"

"It's fancy talk for bait. Ultra Beast bait," Nanu comments, and Moon's heart throbs. Beside her, Gladion grows tense, and her world begins to slow down. "Anabel's just like you. Got stuck in a wormhole for Arceus knows how long, and the Ultra Beasts come swarming at her."

Moon's mind is a few steps ahead, sensing that something _very_ troubling is about to be said. But she still holds herself tall. Or tries to, backing herself against a wall. "I… I don't think I understand."

Probably seeing Looker isn't going to say much more, Nanu goes on. "Looker and I were on a mission and found Anabel. She was done in. Unconscious. No memories, no nothing. I don't even think those pricks at the Interpol told her a thing. Just like they didn't tell you a thing, either."

"My young companion," begins Looker, sighing. He's looking at Moon like he's asking for mercy. "Like my fellow past chief is saying… we have not been fully honest with you about the nature of your job."

Gladion, evidently growing tired of the charade, steps between him and Moon, glowering. "Explain yourself. What's Nanu talking about?"

"A Faller… they are not normal people. They are not like you and I. Moon and the chief are unique. Beings coated with Ultra Wormhole energy after passing through a wormhole." Moon clutches the front of her shirt in wariness as Looker keeps talking. "Ultra Beasts are not in Alola for leisure. Ms. Lusamine's actions prompted their arrival, and they are looking for a way home."

"And the poor things mistake that weird energy for a wormhole," Nanu elaborates, pointing at Moon. "So when they see the missy, they think she's a wormhole, and wanna go through her to go home. So by using her as the pawn, Ultra Beasts come out easier. That's why they chose you, missy."

Her heart stills. Her breathing halts.

She's a bait, Moon realizes.

She's just Ultra Beast _bait_.

That's why Nihilego wanted her close, why Xurkitree nearly killed her, why Kartana tried to get to her, why it attacked Gladion. She's more than just an agent. She's a target. She's _dangerous_ to be around, now.

Moon gasps in horror.

Gladion looks at Looker for a quiet moment. Two steps afterward and he's grabbing the lapels of his jacket with a growl. Nanu doesn't even try to stop him. "You've been using Moon as _bait_? You just wanted her for _that_!?"

Nanu is silent. Moon calls Gladion's name, approaching him to weakly grab the back of his sweater. "Gladion, calm down." Her voice quivers.

"You almost _died_! So now we know they were sending you to a death trap and still let you go anyway!" Gladion roars. Moon has never seen him this outraged about anything in his life, except when facing Lusamine years ago. "What if Moon had died when Xurkitree got her in Lush Jungle? Tell me. Tell me!"

Looker lets Gladion scream at him, eyes closed and lips pulled tight. Nanu sighs, more bothered than worried, and grabs Gladion's arm to peel him off the agent. "Calm down, kid. Looker's a dumbass, but this ain't his full fault."

"It might not be, but he didn't tell her that Ultra Beasts would try to _kill_ her." That's not the full truth, but at this point, that barely matters.

Moon looks down. She's not fond of how Gladion is defending her, how he's so worked up about something she should have probably seen coming after her encounter with Nihilego. She understands why the International Police would find her fit for the mission, but yet…

"He's right."

Gladion and Nanu look at her again. Moon steps close, standing beside Gladion and Nanu as she sighs, folding her arms.

"This mission is overwhelming. I might be Alola's Champion, but I'm also human. You know the state Anabel is in, and you never told me about this, or even gave me as much as a warning." Moon takes a deep breath. Gladion's gaze is pointed, alert. Shaken up. "But… I still would have accepted the mission."

Nanu arches an eyebrow. Gladion takes a step back, baffled. "You _what_?"

Moon frowns at Gladion, troubled. "Alola is my home, and I have to protect it. The circumstances are anything but pretty, but… it's my duty. If I don't do it, nobody else will. And seeing Anabel's state, I don't wanna force her into it just because I'm a coward."

"It's not about being brave! You could have died that day, and the other, and the next," Gladion comments bitterly, pointing at Looker. "And I guess Moon's exhaustion and dizziness during battles are what Anabel is going through as well, right?"

Looker nods slowly. "Ultra Wormhole energy is exhausting. Anabel always excuses it or hides it, but she does not know the reason behind it. And I would appreciate it if it remained that way."

Moon nods. Gladion isn't as quick to accept this. "And we're supposed to go on with this mission? Knowing Moon might _die_ just because the International Police thinks it's fun to use people as pawns?"

At this point, Moon is faced with two options: she can hightail it out of there and face the Ultra Beasts knowing she might get severely hurt in the process, or just flee. Both outcomes have problems – one of the entailing the destruction of Alola, and the other the destruction of her _body_.

And yet, the more she thinks about it, the more she thinks there's only one way she'll go through with this ordeal.

"I'm gonna keep going," Moon states, resolute, but looking at the floor. "But I'll do it alone from now on. I want Gladion to go home."

She hears him let out an indignant sound. She's pissing him off far more than what he should forgive. " _Excuse me_?"

Moon turns to him. "I said you're going home. I'll deal with the last Ultra Beast on my own, and that's final."

"No, you absolutely are _not_." Gladion takes a step towards her, towering over her with a glare that fails to threaten her. "Are you nuts? Looker just told you you're a target! The second that Ultra Beast puts its senses on you, it'll aim at you and probably kill you! And you still want to go there unprotected?"

"Exactly because I'm a target I can't let any more people get hurt just because they wanted to protect me!"

"We had a compromise!" he reminds her, pointing a finger at her. "You promised you'd keep yourself safe!"

"I can keep myself safe without your help!"

Gladion grips his hand while squaring his jaw. He's positively shaking. "You can't just go off on your own! Remember what you said the other day? You might _die_!"

"I refuse to let you get hurt like what happened with Kartana the other day just because I'm too clumsy. I'm tired of that! I'm not gonna let that happen anymore. Not to you, of all people." Gladion is looking at her like she just punched him on the face. She turns to Looker. "Send Gladion home. Guzzlord is in Poni Island, you said?"

Looker, still a little shaken up by this confrontation, nods shakily. "Yes. Nanu informed me that Gluttony was last seen near Resolution Cave, heading to the basement. It must be waiting there. I suggest you head there as soon as possible. I will make sure Gladion is sent home in the next ferry."

"I'm not a _kid_. You can't just send me home like a child! She might get hurt if she goes in without any help!" He turns to Looker and Nanu. "You know this is far too dangerous for a single person. Are you going to let her just leave on her own?"

Looker looks at Gladion with a pained grimace. "As hard as it might be to believe, young man, I understand what it is to want to protect someone in this situation. But I do not want any more victims. If I had had the opportunity to save Anabel from what she is going through right now, I would have taken that opportunity without wasting a second."

Gladion is about to argue further, but Moon's steely eyes stop him. She holds herself taut, taking a careful step towards him and taking a very deep breath.

Reading the air, Nanu nods at Looker to follow him outside, and a second later, they're alone in the room.

"You need to calm down," Moon murmurs. "Please, Gladion. Everything's gonna be okay."

His frame shakes. She catches sight of his shaky hands balling into fists. "You don't get to tell me that. You– You can't go out there on your own. They're using you, and you still want to go? How is that fair?" She doesn't have time to answer, "And tell me, what happened to our deal? What happened to ' _we run together_ '?

"I'm trying to protect you," she says, biting her lip and gulping down her guilt. Moon knows she'd be just as upset if he behaved this way. "I don't wanna go back on our deal, but I didn't know I was an actual target. You might _die_ just by standing by my side. That's too much risk, and I know this isn't what we agreed on, but–."

But Looker had said this will be the deadliest creature she's ever faced.

Though, Moon has made it out alive thanks to Gladion, too.

Gladion crosses his arms. "All of this is unnecessary. You know that I'm still going to follow you, right?"

"Not if I tell Nanu to block the door."

"Do you think that man listens to reason? He's very much over it, and believe it or not, he cares about us in his own way. You can try to leave me here, I'll escape through the window if necessary, and Nanu won't bother to stop me."

He makes a very good point. Gladion looks at her with irritation, and Moon frowns at him. The perfect setup for an argument. "You're the one who isn't listening to reason. Just stay here and nothing will happen to you or anybody."

"What about you?"

"I'm gonna be fine."

"You're not convincing enough, so I'm coming with you. I refuse to let you get hurt just because you don't trust me."

"No, I trust you!"

"Then _act_ like it!" he exclaims. "We agreed we'd keep each other safe by not being _idiots_. If you trust me, then let me go with you. Let me have your back. We promised we'd look after each other, right? Let me protect you, too."

"I'm the Champion of Alola," she complains, sighing. She refuses to meet his eyes, looking at their shoes instead. "I just– all I want is for you to be safe and you just won't let me."

"I'm going to be fine. If you send me away, I'll find my way to you. I'm also a part of this mission, and nobody or nothing will hurt us if I have a say on the matter." Moon still isn't convinced, though, and chews on her lip to show him just that. He cups her chin and brings her face up. Her cheeks heat up softly. "Look, I trust you to be fine, but I can't trust those Ultra Beasts. We talked about this already, didn't we?"

"Yeah, but–"

"Then let's kick Ultra Beast ass together. I won't accept no for an answer." He takes out a Pokéball from his bag. "Do you want to test my power one last time? Do I need to prove to you how strong my team is?"

Moon can't help but smile at that. He's so endearingly dumb, sometimes. "You're so pretentious."

He huffs at her, and she chuckles breathily. His emerald eyes are less stormy, more hopeful. He looks at her with determination, with a knit brow. He might be constantly trying to outdo her in the many hobbies and passions they share, but he's reliable.

And arrogant. And a know-it-all. He's stubborn. He's kind. He's infuriatingly selfless. Handsome. One of the best headaches to ever exist in her life.

And as she looks into his green eyes, she can't help but give in. "Fine, but we gotta be careful, alright? We still have a date to go to. And you owe me malasadas. The big ones filled with jelly."

Gladion chuckles, following her out of the room. "Guess we can't die yet, then. But, Moon?"

She turns around and finds him offering her his hand, maybe to seal their deal. Moon eagerly shakes his hand– she yelps as he pushes her to his chest, hugging her suffocatingly tight. Moon recovers from the sudden gesture with heating cheeks, looping her arms around his neck as he braces her waist.

They stay like that for a quiet minute.

"If we run," he repeats, cautious, "we run together. We're stuck together. If we die, we do so together."

"We'll end this mission together," Moon whispers into his shoulder. "I'll have your back, and you'll have mine."

She feels him nod on her shoulder, hugging her tighter, and for a second, she feels like the mission will go just fine.

* * *

They find Guzzlord tucked away in the basement of Resolution Cave, sleeping. He's a monstrosity, taking about half of the pedestal at the back of the chamber. Moon almost expects it to wake up, just by how it should _feel_ her growing close.

Gladion looks at it expectantly, tense. Both of them are aware of how deadly this mission can be, how Guzzlord will try to aim for her no matter what Pokémon they throw out. They need to be careful.

Guzzlord's colossal size doesn't help, either. Moon tosses her Vikavolt's Pokéball into the battleground. Gladion's Silvally hisses at the creature, but Gladion holds it back with a hand on its mane.

Vikavolt turns to her, waiting for a signal. For once, Moon is unsure of how to start the battle, fearful of what this cave might become. "Is it weird that I'm hesitating?"

"After all the information Nanu and Looker threw at you? Not at all."

Moon probably would've at least _chuckled_ at that attempt at a joke, but she doesn't. The more and more she thinks about it, the more it seems like where she used to be supportive and his backbone, she's now the one in need of that footing. It's a bonus that he's also pretty good at being encouraging.

Gladion nods at her, and Moon takes a deep breath. She moves her hand, urging Vikavolt forward. "Vikavolt, use Bug Buzz!"

A screech fills the caves and Guzzlord groans as it awakens. The sound is empty, echoing throughout the caves. A roar clashing with metal. A terrifying, mighty growl of dominance.

Guzzlord roars again, readying its claws, and Moon's eyes narrow in focus. A thrill of excitement, fear, and adrenaline spikes within her. Beside her, Gladion commands Silvally to attack Guzzlord, aiding Vikavolt to weaken it. It feels like the old times, almost, when they had to storm through Aether Paradise and fight the world, side to side.

However, this nostalgic excitement is short-lived: Guzzlord jumps up and lands right before Moon, shoving Silvally and Vikavolt to the side– and Guzzlord is nothing short of brutal.

" _Moon_!"

In a swipe, Guzzlord sends Moon across the cave. She yells in pain and gasps for air as she hits the wall. A crevice grows under her. She feels warm all of a sudden, that familiar dizziness coming back with a force to be reckoned with.

 _Guzzlord is trying to corner me_ , she realizes, a far off thought. _It's looking for the wormhole. And if I let it reach me, it–_

Numb and weakened, Moon slides off the wall, trying to regain her bearings, but Guzzlord is right in front of her again, roaring, and Moon can almost see the pit of its throat, the spikes all within the jaws of the monster, its metallic, terrifying calling–

Guzzlord screams as it flies back to where it used to be, destroying a part of the adjacent wall in the process.

She opens her eyes. At the back, Vikavolt is tying Guzzlord up, and Gladion has switched Silvally for Lucario, both of whom are running towards her, with the former being absolutely _hysterical_.

With wobbly knees, she supports herself on him as soon as he's there. He's just as shaken up as Moon. "Are you alright? What on Earth happened there?"

Moon coughs. She's sure she's swallowed a bunch of dust from the hit alone, and she finds she can barely move without his help. "I'm fine– I think. Something might be broken, but I guess that's–"

"That's _not_ okay!" he exclaims, slinging an arm around his shoulders. "We need to get out of here and patch you up. We can't fight that thing like this!"

"And let Guzzlord chase us? I can still fight! As long as my Pokémon are okay, I need to keep moving forward," Moon says through rough breathing. The littlest of moves feels wrong and hurts like absolute hell. "I need your– _look out_!"

Guzzlord finds them again and she pushes Gladion out of the way quick enough to avoid a light blast. Moon rolls to the floor, coughing the dust out of her lungs.

The hunt goes on for a while. It's a game of cat and mouse chase with a sprinkle of brushes with death on top. She swears as she's brought to her knees once more, and she manages to send Guzzlord rolling over with her Flygon's last push, after which he weakens and flops to the floor.

Moon can barely move anymore without Gladion's help. At the end of the fight, his side is bleeding and red is trailing down his cheek steadily. She's no better, maybe even worse: her right leg refuses to move, and she can barely see Guzzlord anymore through the constant shaking of the cave as the beast moves and crashes around– paired with her dizziness and exhaustion, Moon is sure they're not going to survive.

The cave begins to shake again. They only have one Beast Ball left. Moon grips it tight, trying to stumble out of Gladion's grip as Guzzlord waits for them, tired.

"I need to–"

"If you go there," he pants, holding her close to his side, "anything could happen. It's too dangerous. You need to stay far away now that it's tired."

Guzzlord has been moving around a lot, and it's resting. Based on her calculations, it will rest for a few minutes before chasing her again– and those chases involve various ways of murder, including stomping on her with its weight and trying to eat her alive.

Both of them are unpleasant, and she's hellbent on making it out alive and not letting it get away, much to Gladion's irritation.

She's starting to realize just now that both alternatives are just that, alternatives: she might have to choose one of them. Only one.

They're running out of time– and she has no idea how to win this battle without a smidge of luck, which they clearly don't have anymore.

"Get out of here."

"Not a chance," he replies calmly. "If I leave, I'm leaving with you."

All of their Pokémon have been knocked out, and all that they have left is each other. Running away means having Guzzlord chase them into the outer world and letting it wreck the entirety of Alola with its insatiable hunger, and staying means very likely death.

And Moon won't let Guzzlord harm Alola even if she has to die here.

The threat Guzzlord imposes is stronger than any promises she's sworn to keep.

"We… we're not gonna make it out," Moon says, looking into his tremorous emerald eyes. "I refuse to leave. You need to leave. The second Guzzlord starts attacking again, it will probably aim at me, and the cave might collapse on us."

"What are you trying to get at?"

Silence.

"I… I'm the bait," Moon says simply. "I can keep it here. The cave will bury Guzzlord alive if I stay here–"

" _No_."

She looks at him. His jaw is shaking. "Gladion–"

"I said _no_!" he barks, supporting her weight more evenly on his shoulders. "You have no Pokémon, you have nothing– I'm _not_ going to leave you here to die!"

"You can go get help! Tell Hapu, tell Nanu–"

"There's no time. By the time I'm gone, you– Guzzlord–" he refuses to speak a very hard to swallow truth, and Moon nearly thanks him for it. "I'm not leaving."

Moon tries to argue with him, tries to tell him that the only way to get out of here is to trap her in with the creature– but she flails, her knees tremble and she nearly sinks to the floor with a whimper. The Ultra Beast's energy is overwhelming, her wounds are too big and deep, and everything _hurts_.

She doesn't want to be alive here anymore, and she doesn't want Gladion to face the same fate she's destined to live.

"Please," Moon begs, grasping his sweater for leverage. "I know we made a promise, but I can't– just listen to me, just get away from here. I'll be fine, all I need is to–"

Guzzlord roars at them from the back of the room, indicating that it's ready to battle them again. For a split second, Moon wonders if Guzzlord would leave Gladion alone if she just handled herself to it willingly, if she lets it tear her to shreds. Her whole team is K.O., she's run out of Revives, and her RotomDex isn't working after so many hits from the beast.

There has to be something she can do, just something–

The cave begins to shake as Guzzlord stomps on the ground incessantly. The ceiling quivers, dust begins to filter through the cracks, and pebbles fall to the floor, announcing that something much worse is about to come.

Impatient, the Ultra Beast bounds towards them, and the cave begins to unravel.

An avalanche of dust, gravel, and absolute chaos descends behind them. Gladion and Moon try to run away from Guzzlord, staggering, half-tripping on their way out– only to find that the entrance is blocked by boulders.

Moon never thought she'd die at the hands of a Pokémon, much less as a victim of Alola's hands.

Turns out she'll die buried alive with the man she loves.

The ceiling begins to fall apart, unraveling. A boulder falls on Guzzlord, making it stumble back. Light begins to filter through the cracks, and she feels her hand being tugged at–

Gladion screams something into the noise that she can't hear. His expression is that of anguish, of pain, of unhinged _fear_ that shakes her to her core. Alola's sunlight is cracking through the shattering ceiling.

He's crying, Moon notices, and she realizes that she's crying as well.

A veil of dust comes between them. A deafening noise comes from above.

The last thing she sees is the shimmering emerald of his eyes, shining through the danger, cutting through her fear. Blinding pain cleaves her body into pieces, and she hears herself scream.

And then, everything goes black.

* * *

_Chirp, chirp, chirp_.

Moon wakes up bathed in the cerulean lights of Alola.

She slowly incorporates herself. Numbness fizzes through her limbs, and when she blinks, she's met with the view of the Resolution Cave collapsed around her. There's blood on the slates of stone covering her body, as well as a cavity right above her, piercing the surface.

For a moment, Moon thinks she's a ghost, but upon a second, things start to hurt, and memories start to scathe.

She survived. She's alive. There's a bump a few feet away from her. A breathing bump. Guzzlord.

There's another bump to her right, she notices– but this bump isn't breathing, apparently, and the golden streaks between the rocks are tainted with something red, almost brown.

Clouded eyes sting with tears. She leans a little closer to him, crawling to him, unable to move otherwise. He's not moving. Why isn't he moving? All human beings move, one way or another. She's alive.

He has to be alive too.

His body is turned upside down. His Pokéballs are scattered around him. His Pokémon are alive, but Gladion…

"Gladion…?" she weakly pokes his shoulder. "Wake… Wake up. We made it. We did it." Her body knows what's going on before her mind does. Tears of anticipated realization trail down her cheeks. "Gladion?"

No response. She pokes him again, calling his name with a broken whisper. Her insides twist, and a sob rocks through her as she calls him again, again and again.

" _Keep winning. Maybe I'll see you again if you do."_

"Wake up!" she yells, trying to move the rocks away, but only managing to hurt herself more in the process. Distressed tears of disbelief run down her tattered cheeks. "Wake up! We made it! You can't– we– the Ultra Beast–!"

As her tongue trips with her tears and building exhaustion, a metallic groan comes from her front. when she turns, she sees that Guzzlord is beginning to wiggle, weakly so. Without any strength left, she crawls out of the debris. Her view is flickering. She wants to go to sleep.

Moon presses her last Beast Ball against Guzzlord's skin, and the Ultra Beast flashes into the container without a second thought.

With that, her mission is complete, and she lets herself heave forward, sinking into the broken debris.

The Beast Ball rolls out of her outstretched hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you can't catch me if I'm faster /skates away


	7. UB Mission - Clear!

The mission didn't go fine.

That's the first thing Moon realizes when she wakes up in the hospital. When she tries to go back and remember what exactly landed her here, she encounters a block and a pounding headache. There's sweat accumulating on her brow and bandages wrapped around her arms.

Maybe her head, too– and seeing how hard it is to breathe, they might as well be choking her around the torso.

Light streams through the parted windows, letting a pleasant breeze cleanse her headache with its soothing hands. Moon sighs, letting herself close her eyes for a split second, trying to recall how she got here, what exactly happened, and why everything still _hurts_.

Whatever happened back there… it hadn't been pretty, she can tell. She's sore, tired, and her throat is as dry as sand. When she tries to move, she finds herself attached to wires. She almost expects somebody to help her up, but nobody does.

All Moon hears is the beeping of a monitor by her side, and then a door swinging open. Wicke.

She rushes to her bedside the moment she sees Moon is awake. "Arceus, thank goodness you're finally awake! We thought you would never open your eyes again."

Moon turns her head to look at her fully through lidded eyes. Her legs and arms are sore, but when she tries to wiggle for comfort, she finds some mobility there. "I… water?"

Wicke zooms out the door and comes back with a glass of water. She helps Moon sit up without disrupting the wires attached to her body and sits down as Moon slowly drinks the water.

She asks Wicke for details as to how she got here, and not even something as gritty as that can be softened by a woman as mild and poised as Wicke.

"You and the Young Master fought Gluttony and the Resolution Cave fell apart, presumably because of the Ultra Beast's actions both before and during the battle. Your Pokémon were found closeby and have been fully healed, and you and the Young Master were taken to the hospital in Aether Paradise, where you're currently resting."

The mention of Gladion wakes Moon up fully. She begins to remember the battle loosely; she recalls Gladion calling her name, shouting through the destruction, and then… and then…

Moon sucks in a sharp breath. "Where… where's Gladion? He's okay, isn't he? Is he hurt? Are his Pokémon okay?"

Wicke purses her lips. She doesn't answer right away, and Moon's heart falls through her stomach. It all feels like a nightmare, almost, and Moon feels heavy, drenched in painful anticipation.

"His condition was… delicate, for a lack of a better word. He had several injuries and deep wounds. He lost a lot of blood, so he… when we found him, we felt our fears had come true." Color drains from her face, and tears begin to prickle in her eyes; but then, Wicke smiles, gently so. "But he is recovering. He is still unconscious, but his condition is stable."

Her world stops for a split moment, blown away by the news. A grin trembles in her lips before her brain can catch up. "He… he's okay?"

Wicke nods carefully. "He had a lapse of consciousness while you were transferred from Malie's General Hospital, but he relapsed shortly after arriving at Aether Paradise. He's currently resting, along with his team. There is no need to panic."

She doesn't notice she's clenching the blankets until her knuckles begin to ache.

The image of Gladion, lifeless beside her, has haunted her in flickers of memory while she slept. Just thinking about how he was almost taken away from her and she hadn't been able to protect him makes something in her stomach clench uncomfortably.

She smiles at Moon and passes a tissue her way as a few tears of relief trail down her eyes. Wicke looks just as relieved as her; after all, the mission is finally over.

"I have also contacted Anabel and Looker. They have left to their headquarters in Sinnoh to report the finalization of the mission. They tried to visit you, but the nurses wouldn't let anybody visit until today." Wicke's eyes widen momentarily. "That reminds me, your mother also visited you this morning. She said she will be back tomorrow in the evening, as visit hours are currently closed."

Wiping away some tears, Moon frowns. "Even for my mother?"

"The doctor has advised you have a lot of rest before you receive any visits, so I suggest you take it easy tonight. There are no visits from the doctor on schedule, either, so feel free to relax. If you wish, I can bring your Pokémon. I'm keeping them at my office."

"I'd love to see them, if that's okay," Moon says. Wicke nods and heads to the door, but Moon has something else to say. "But…"

Wicke turns around. "Yes?"

She fidgets with the blankets covering her legs. "Um… I know visits aren't allowed right now, but… could I maybe visit Gladion?"

The other isn't surprised per se, but her disposition stiffens considerably. "Oh. I… I doubt you can walk yet, Moon."

"I don't care about that." She tries to move out of the bed, but Wicke hurries to her side to stop her. Moon winces with every move she makes, and looks at Wicke pleadingly. "I need to see him. Please. Take me to him."

The walk to his room is slow and painful without the wired medicine keeping her semi-numb, even though he's only a few doors away. It feels like she's dragging herself through a river of needles with chainsaws as river gravel. It's dull torture she's willing to put herself through if that's all it takes to see him again.

And unless memory is failing her, she never got to tell him how desperately in love with him she is.

When she finally enters his room, however, any wish to confess her bubbling feelings for him falls to the floor and shatters in the silence of his bedroom.

Moon watches Gladion warily, with a haunted guard. He's paler than she's ever seen him. His hair has always been disheveled, but it looks like a mess right now. There are bandages wrapped around his head, his hands, arms, and she can see some of them strapped around his strong shoulders.

Moon watches him, waiting to see the telltale moving of his chest; she stumbles to his bedside, dropping the crutches Wicke had provided. She chooses to kneel beside him, taking his hand.

Wicke can only watch from the doorway in silence.

"What… what happened to him?" Moon asks, shaky and afraid. The more she looks at him, the emptier she feels; she harder it is to remind herself that she's alive and he might as well not be. "He… He… He doesn't look okay."

"The Young Master… he was in a much worse state when we found him. He will recover, it's only a matter of time– but he got out of surgery very recently."

Moon turns to Wicke, frantic. She's always been the one stuck in beds, dangerous situations, and bandages; seeing him in a place she occupies far too often brings unease and uncertainty to her heart. He will be alright, she knows that, but…

"When will he wake up?"

"Soon. A matter of days. He looks less than ideal right now, but… he will pull through. The Young Master is a strong man." Wicke turns to Moon, and the Champion catches her smiling endearingly at the two. "I'm sure he will be overjoyed to see you when he wakes up."

Moon gulps. A flush spreads in her cheeks. "R-Really?"

The older woman's eyes shrink, and her lips pull in a conflicted grimace. She clutches her notepad tight to her chest.

"During his lapse of consciousness… he asked to see you. Multiple times, in fact." Moon isn't quite sure how to process that, so she chooses to bury her face in her hands, suppressing a groan. Wicke sighs. "He was severely upset when we told him you were unavailable, but he never stopped asking.."

She walks closer to Gladion's bed. Moon has always seen Wicke as a faux motherly figure for Gladion and Lillie– it's in the way she holds herself before them, how tender her smiles are, the soft glint in her eyes whenever she talks to the two. Unlike Lusamine, her gestures are easy and genuine. There's no plastic, just flesh, warmth.

Wicke reaches out– not to Gladion, but Moon, ruffling her already tousled hair. "I hope you and the Young Master remain together for a long time. I'm happy he has someone like you in his life. He always looks so happy whenever he sees you… it truly overjoys me to see him smile."

Moon can't say how much of that is true, but her heartbeat stutters all the same, thinking of how he might look at her when she's not looking, of the little smiles they dedicate to one another when nobody is watching…

She buries her face in the side of his bed, and Wicke leaves with a quiet laugh rolling off her lips.

* * *

Moon is a stubborn person; so much so that when the nurses tell her she has to go back to her room, she refuses to.

Over and over. To the point she sleeps by his bed for days, keeping time, uncomfortable as hell, but fixed to his bedside like a plant that's grown roots.

It's not like she likes being disobedient, really, and part of her knows she'll get better sooner if she goes back to her bed and knocks herself out– Looker and Anabel will surely do that for her if they find out she's out of her bed, even though she's aware that they're responsible for this mess and they might not really care.

Moon convinces herself that she's too tired to judge anybody. That she's too tired to be looking after Gladion, that he's still breathing, that the bandages are being taken away from his body little by little, that the wires are being plucked away day after day. He looks more peaceful. Calm. At ease.

She sleeps slumped over the side of his bed, seated on a stiff chair, praying each night that he'll wake up the next day.

She wants him to see her right when he wakes up. The first thing. No nightmares, no Ultra Beasts, no danger. _Her_.

* * *

Except he wakes up that night– and he makes this known with a light touch on her head, like a feather, brushing her fringe to the side.

Hesitant. Doubtful. But between the mirages of Nihilegos chasing her in a nightmare, the Xurkitrees trying to suffocate her, and the Guzzlord that's once more trying to bury her in rocks, there's warmth and a delicate whisper. Her name.

Moon's eyes flutter open, only to find a pale shadow looming over her. The pleasant touch withdraws like she's a pot of boiling water, and as the misty sleepy blur fades from her eyes, she finds the silhouette of chopped bangs, a hand lingering in the air, moonlight sparkling on green–

"Gladion," Moon breathes, struggling to stand with weak knees. "Gladion. Arceus, _Gladion_. You're awake. You're–"

"Awake," he finishes, equally as uncertain, tired, and mesmerized as her. His voice is hoarse. "I'm awake. Y-You're awake too. I woke up a second ago and... you– you're here."

It's his voice that does it for her. With wobbly knees, Moon stands up. The chair topples to a side as she throws herself to him, hugging him close as sobs rock through her. His arms come around her, and he buries his face in her collarbone as she kneels on his bed, digging her fingers into his stiff pajamas.

She can't concern herself with whether her hug hurts or not, for all she knows is that he's alive, he's _okay_ , he's in her arms and she's never letting him go.

"Oh my god," he gasps, burying his nose into her shoulders, hugging her tight, so tight she can't really breathe either, but it's okay. " _Oh_ _my god_ , you're okay. You're alive. You're here, with me."

Moon laughs nervously. It's a wet sound, marked with a shaky grin. "Yeah. I think we established that already. We're both here. Alive."

Even when she's fully aware that he's not going to leave her side anytime soon, she still holds onto him like he's her lifeline. His fingers bunch the back of her shirt, and hers weave into his hair, and she only pulls back to get a better look at him.

She cups his cheeks. "You look so tired."

Gladion smirks weakly, but with mirth in his eyes. "And you look terrible. You look like a Tauros ran over you and threw you to the sea."

She pouts stubbornly, unable to be offended by such a half-hearted quip. "And you look like you fell down Lanakila in a puddle of mud."

"Well, your hair is like a Pikipek nest."

"And yours looks like Mallow's Miltank just licked it everywhere."

He frowns, his fingers tightening around her pajamas. "You're so childish."

"And you're a jerk, and a dumbass, and I–" her throat seizes up as the many things she wants to tell him begin to pile up. "I–"

Moon forcefully grabs the lapels of his pajamas and kisses him. _Hard_. Nearly pushing him back into the bed. She doesn't even have time to be afraid because he kisses her back instantly, comfortably settling her on his lap. Moon winds her fingers into his hair again and pulls him as close as he can be, because she's been thinking about him for too long and touching him for too little.

His hand sneaks under her shirt, cold and soothing, and spreads over the small of her back, nipping on her lower lip. She breaks away when she runs out of air, and combs his stupid fringe back. "Even if I'm kissing you, my point still stands, and your hair looks stupid, and I thought I'd never see it again and _god_ I'm so angry at you, you're an idiot and–"

A peck to shut her up. A shake of his head, looking irritated while being anything but that. "I'm happy to see you too, Moon."

When she pulls him in for another kiss, it evolves quickly. They run out of air and kiss clumsily, losing themselves into each other, weakly grasping the thread that keeps them together. It's like running with broken legs, except this feels too good and she needs more of him or else she might miss him again.

Gladion sighs into the kiss, curling his arms tighter around her and pulling her into the bed with him. Moon giggles into the kiss, and he replies with a grin of his own. They can't kiss anymore, laughing and excited as they are.

Legs tangled and breaths jerky and uneven, Moon sighs into his chest. "We're alive."

"Yeah." He sounds still uncertain. Disbelieving. "We _are_. Incredible, huh?"

She pulls her body up, hovering over him. Her legs complain through it all. "I barely remember anything of what happened, but I bet my whole life's savings that you did something stupid to end up here."

"I think you need to take a look around you. You're _exactly_ in the same place as I. We're stuck together."

"That's irrelevant to my point," she argues, trying to sound menacing– but it's hard to when he looks more amused than threatened. "If I ever say run, you _run_."

"No."

" _Gladion_!"

He wiggles out of her hold and sits up with her on his lap again. She can't understand how he moves so freely when her legs feel like goo– but that might be his fault.

Gladion looks very unhappy right now, despite all that. "When you tell me to run, you're implying you won't run with me. If _I_ run away, that's because the situation is dangerous, so you need to run away, too."

"Guzzlord was another matter entirely."

"Beats me," he gulps as he speaks, looking at her thoroughly. "I once wasn't there for a battle that I should have been in. You went to Ultra Space in my place. Lillie had to deal with our family's mess while I ran away with Null. I'm not going to run away anymore."

Moon bites her lip. "I want you to be safe."

"And I want you to be safe, too, but this isn't how this works. You said it yourself last week better than I can right now, remember?"

Her head goes back to less dangerous days, to her patching him up and Gladion complaining that his wounds were anything but dangerous. When he had tried to shrug her off. When they had realized that if they were going to work together, they were stuck together.

Moon nods, pressing her forehead against his. "If we run, we run together."

"Exactly." He sighs. It fans across her chin, over her lips, and she bites back a shudder. "Though… I suppose we won't have much to worry about anymore since the Ultra Beasts are gone. Finally."

"Finally, indeed." Moon sighs against him, closing her eyes, enjoying the sound of air coming out and into his body– Arceus knows she's taken it for granted. "Now… maybe we can go back to where I grab you by the shirt and kiss you again?"

Gladion doesn't say a word, instead leaning past her nose and kissing her himself. She melts against him, breathing out through her nose as he braces her hips against him, clenching the fabric of her pajamas, making her forget that her legs still hurt and that she should probably be in bed–

"Goodness gracious, we should have known."

Anabel's deadpan reaches Moon and makes her stiffen, so much so she nearly falls off the bed and smashes her face on the granite floor. Gladion holds her steady in his shock, and when Moon turns to the two, they're smiling.

"It is good to see you are doing well, though maybe you should wait for that sort of action until you are a little healthier… and perhaps not in a hospital," observes Looker, and Moon buries her crimson face in his shoulder. "I doubt Moon's position is good for her limbs."

"You somehow managed to suck all the fun out of it," grumbles Gladion, making her giggle nervously.

Anabel simply smiles at them, nodding in understanding. "We came here to check on Gladion's condition, which… seeing as you are fully engaging in loving endeavors, you are healthier than we had bargained for, but maybe Moon should go back to her room."

Moon's face darkens to maroon as she regrettably hoists herself off his lap and nearly falls to the floor the moment she's standing. Gladion lets her go begrudgingly, and Moon already misses his touch. They will have to talk about all of what just happened soon.

Though that talk will have to wait; she has an appointment with a hard bed and probably weeks of physical rehabilitation.

Right as she's leaving, Gladion grabs her wrist and smirks at her. "I haven't forgotten about our date day in Malie. Just letting you know."

Moon smiles at him devilishly. "I guess we gotta get healthy as soon as possible, then."

A smile. "I guess we must."

**Author's Note:**

> AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND that's a wrap for this year's lonashipping week! though there was another in March but that was DIFFERENT GBHFSL
> 
> Thank you so much for the support, it brought me lots of joy to see the community come together and throw love at each other! Make sure to read all the content created by other creators, be it art or fanfiction. To all readers and fellow writers: I salute you!!! (✿◡‿◡)7 You writers and artists did a fantastic job and to the readers I say thank you so much for your encouraging support all around!
> 
> (On another note idk how to really finish author notes but this was a great year and I'm very thankful for the reception of this fic, I wrote this while I was on a slump and it gave me a boost of confidence-- and the community being so huddled together was just so much fun AAAAAH so thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!! kissies from me to you)
> 
>   
> (I mean unless you're still upset over last chapter to which I GBHFIKDCOLSX)  
> 
> 
> See you on the flipside, fellow lonatoonies! Have a fantastic day and don't let anklebiters bite your ankles!!
> 
> /skates away


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